Ivan Gayler founded Nature and Culture International in 1997 after a fateful flight over the Amazon. Below him, all seemed aflame. In that moment of disbelief, he wondered who was going to save what remained of these amazing places, burning before his eyes. He realized that he had to personally make a difference.

Since then, Nature and Culture has worked intensively and successfully with local governments, community groups and private parties. Over the past two decades, these efforts have established a mosaic of private, community and government reserves with integrated programs devoted to science and conservation education.

With its distinctive strategy, Nature and Culture has ensured the protection of more than 8.7 million acres of imperiled ecosystems. Through support from donors in North America, our accomplishments include:

• Protecting 5.5 million acres of Amazonian rainforest in Peru

• Creating a 2.6 million-acre UNESCO managed biosphere

• Helping indigenous Shuar communities re-acquire 80,000 acres of ancestral homeland

• Safeguarding the water supply for more than a million Ecuadorians

• Guiding the sustainable production of value-added goods such as perfume, artisanal crafts and forest products

• Conserving 100,000 acres of tropical dry forest habitat, an ecosystem of which only 5% remains