The
Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to charities
that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify,
document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the
highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness,
and cost effectiveness.
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Our Conservation Partners
The Municipality of Loja, Ecuador
The Municipality of Loja,
with 175,000 inhabitants, conducts two important collaborative programs
with NCI. In one, the city taxes water users to generate significant
funds to conserve and manage watershed lands that provide the city's
drinking water. NCI makes capital contributions for land purchases
in these watersheds, which protects biodiverse cloud forests of the
Andean mountains. Loja has also become the first GeoCity in Ecuador
under a program of the United Nations Environmental Program through
the support of NCI. Thanks to this project, the city of Loja has collected
all the environmental information and indicators to become an environmentally
sustainable city. This mark of distinction is added to several other
international prizes the city has received for its leadership in environmental
problems such as waste management and green areas, and in public participation.
