We don’t rely on single sources to determine the priority level of a site. Here’s how Nature and Culture analyzes a living asset prior to investment:

 
SIZE OF POTENTIAL SITE
When first considering a potential project, we look for a size that’s in our sweet spot of 100,000 to 1 million acres. We focus on large contiguous ecosystems whenever possible, but that is only one factor.

DIVERSITY & ENDEMICS
Next, we use in-country biologists to assess species diversity and endemism–the number of plants and animals that are limited only to a particular region. For us, endemism is the most crucial element to consider because such species are so easily lost.

IMMINENT THREATS
We then make a trend analysis that examines the imminent dangers moving toward the region. These might be logging, slash-and-burn agriculture, biofuel plantations, overgrazing and clearing, oil extraction or mining–especially, these days, gold mining. We go to where the threats are imminent and attempt to cut them off at the pass.

COST ANALYSIS
The only way to protect land for less than $100 an acre is to work with the mayors, governors and community leaders who establish community reserves, protected reserves and zoning regulations. This factors into our accounting. Doing more–for less–is an important part of our model.

STAYING POWER
The time, energy and resources devoted to a project only make sense if the land can be protected in perpetuity. The overarching goal is to create a legacy for the people and other species involved. We look for projects that will be embraced locally to provide a legacy for future generations.

LOCAL TALENT
To succeed, we need local conservationists with political acumen. It’s wonderful when our partner biologists move into government service and continue to strongly support conservation projects from offical positions.