Conservation Legacy

Part of Theodore Roosevelt Memorial.

"There is [no question] which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us," said Roosevelt. Today, scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and other organizations continue Roosevelt's legacy to conserve the environment for future generations."

Today

Why Work In Conservation? AMNH's Chris Filardi believes conservation work extends beyond the natural world.

1925 to present

River running zig zag through a valley with steep mountains on each side and trees dotting the mountains.

U.S. Models Echoed Globally: Since early efforts, land conservation has become a global movement.
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Two mountain gorillas walking on all fours in lush environment.

Virunga National Park, D.R. Congo: After traveling to this mountainous region to collect specimens for an AMNH diorama, Carl Akeley fought for mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) conservation there, contributing to the movement to create this national park—Africa’s first—in 1925.
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A rhinoceros stands in the water, with greenery along edges of water.

Kaziranga National Park, India: Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, Kaziranga is home to the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)—famously successful for population rebounds since the 1970s—as well as 15 other species of India’s threatened mammals.
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A river flanked on both sides by greenery, with a mountain the background and a bright, cloudy sky.

National Parks in Costa Rica: In Costa Rica, a model for nationwide conservation, environmental stewardship is sound economic policy. Covering more than 25 percent of the country, protected lands encourage tourism—and account for a significant amount of the country’s income.
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1948

IUCN Founded: Institutions from 18 countries form the first global environmental organization. The International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of threatened animals is used in species.

1962

Silent Spring Published: Conservationist Rachel Carson alerts the public to the health dangers of agricultural pesticides, prompting tighter chemical industry regulation and, in 1972, the U.S. ban on DDT.

April 1970

A person's two hands pressed together and holding a mound of dirt and a small, sprouting plant.

First Earth Day: Earth Day, celebrated annually worldwide to increase awareness of environmental issues, marks the beginning of the modern environmental education movement.

December 1970

A body of water with a forest of tall trees on the shore and tree-covered mountains in the background.

EPA Founded: The U.S. creates its first agency dedicated to protecting environmental health.

1972

Narinder Kakar: In Stockholm, the U.N. holds its first major conference on international environmental issues.

1973

A black-footed ferret on all fours, with its head up, in an icy landscape.

Endangered Species Act: Though Roosevelt and others made efforts to preserve some threatened species, this U.S. Act finalizes federal protection for endangered species.

1973

Regulating Trade of Species: 80 nations sign the "CITES" agreement, to ensure that international trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

1978 to present

Aerial view of Central Park from the southern end.

Conserving U.S. Areas: Today, U.S. public spaces encompass urban areas, coral reefs, and more.
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Alaska’s dynamic 3.3-million-acre Glacier Bay National Park, designated a national park in 1978, is home to a massive glacier that has been receding for more than a century. Sites like this, vulnerable to the changing climate, provide valuable research opportunities for scientists.
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Partially underwater view of coral in the ocean, with the mountains on land visible above the water and a bright sky above.

In American Samoa, a U.S. territory, a national park is located on lands leased to the Park Service by Samoan village chiefs. Samoans help manage the park, established in 1988, which includes rainforest, beach and coral reefs on three islands.
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A raised walkway full of strolling people flanked by a railway with plants growing all around it and a bench.

The High Line is a New York City public park built on a rail line elevated above some 20 blocks of lower Manhattan. When the historic rail was threatened with demolition in 1999, local residents created an organization to conserve and refurbish the site.
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A desert landscape with bushes and a fence and mountains in the background.

Chiricahua National Monument, adjacent to U.S. Forest Service land in Arizona, is home to some of the area’s unique rock formations and great ecological diversity. At AMNH’s Southwestern Research Station, scientists and educators do research and take classes nearby in one of the country’s most biologically rich environments.
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A brightly colored barn sits on the banks of a river, accessible via a wooden bridge.

The historic Blackstone River Corridor, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, preserves cultural sites (the area contains 24 communities), historic landmarks (its river powered the first cotton-spinning mill in the U.S.) and natural resources from wetlands and canals to forests and fields.
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1980

Jimmy Carter: Following in Roosevelt's footsteps, President Carter sets aside more than 100 million acres.

1986

Hundreds of birds on a shoreline right by the water.

Conserving Migratory Birds: Shorebirds migrate up to 20,000 miles annually. With bird populations declining, agencies and organizations work to conserve habitats along international migration routes.

1986

Ban on Whaling: The International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling helps humpbacks (Megaptera novaeangliae) and other populations rebound.

1987

A graphic of planet Earth divided into sections with lines and two bright colors representing the ozone layer and the whole in the ozone.

Montreal Protocol Signed: Scientists find Earth’s ozone layer, which blocks harmful UV rays, has an alarming “hole.” An international pact to ban ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) was a success; the ozone layer is recovering

1988

View of Earth from space against a dark background.

Attention Turns to Climate Change: Faced with rising CO₂ levels, scientists push for a global effort to fight climate change.
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Chart titled "Variations of the Earth's surface temperature: years 1000 and 2100" showing sharp increase in temperature from mid-1900s on.

IPCC Established, 1988: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body of 195 current member countries, reviews and evaluates international climate change information.
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A factory with five smoke stacks with smoke emerging from them.

Kyoto Protocol Signed, 1997: Dozens of industrialized countries signed this treaty, which created binding commitments to emission reduction. (The U.S. signed in 1998 but did not ratify.) The protocol provided a first step toward stabilizing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change.
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A brightly colored chameleon walking on a branch, its color matching the leaves around it.

Understanding Effects of Climate Change: Today, AMNH’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation works to understand the effect of climate change on biodiversity and distribution of species such as chameleons in Madagascar, in efforts to create better management plans for the future.
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Five trucks, people on motorcycles, and people operating two carts in a flooded underpass area.

Continuing Challenges: Rising sea levels, more numerous and severe storm events and lower air quality—all resulting from ongoing climate change—threaten not only plants and animals but also human health and well-being.
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1996

Bill Clinton: During his administration, President Clinton makes conservation a priority.

1998 to present

Children playing in a wading pool in a Quebec City square, surrounding by buildings with many people sitting around the pool.

Cities Focus on Sustainability: From reducing emissions to reconnecting with nature, cities put conservation on the agenda.
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Bronx River Restoration: New York City: The Bronx River Alliance is restoring this river to ecological health after centuries of misuse and neglect. The Alliance reintroduced alewife herring (Alosa pseudoharengus) in 2006 and 2007 and the species has started to repopulate the river, an indicator of ecosystem health.
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A large street, on the left side of a divider taken up with cars and trucks and on the right, full of people on bikes.

Transportation Reform: Bogotá, Colombia: Since 1998, Bogotá has been working toward improving accessibility and sustainability. Energy-efficient public buses, renovated sidewalks, new bike trails and increased green spaces make the city an environmental leader.
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A tall Growing Power member put out their hands which are holding dirt and worms, while two other people look at the worms.

Creating Food Security: Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Through education and community participation, Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, works to increase food security across the U.S. Based in Milwaukee, the organization has transformed part of that city to reflect a commitment to sustainable food systems.
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Seven people, adults and children, walk through a forest with a large, felled tree in the foreground.

Protecting Natural Areas: Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Wilderness works to restore and protect natural areas across four states. By encouraging residents to become environmental stewards, the group hopes to reconnect individuals, especially young people who’ve grown up in a world increasingly reliant on technology, with nature.
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2003

Satellite image of a rocky landscape with a river running through it.

New Technologies: Researchers use satellite images to visualize land-cover changes (above, central Vietnam). The images help identify areas in need of protection, and provide a baseline for predicting future changes.

2006

New Species: Dr. Norman Platnick leads a team inventorying the goblin spider family—and discovering new species.

2006

Dirk Kempthorne: Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior under President George W. Bush.

2007

Wars Wreak Havoc: A 2007 report links decades of conflict in Sudan with deforestation, land degradation and unsustainable resource consumption. The country works to repair damage, but challenges remain.

Today

Landscape of dried, cracked, rocky ground stretching into the distance.

Global Urgencies: Some environmental problems pose serious threats to the survival of species and human health.
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A fisherman on a boat pulls up a net filled with fish.

Global Overfishing: Overfishing has depleted formerly abundant stocks of many fish species. Fishermen move farther from shore and catch smaller fish to accommodate demand. Removing key fish species from their communities disrupts ecological dynamics and threatens fishery collapse.
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Pollinators Under Threat: Pollinators such as bees, birds, fruit bats, butterflies and moths pollinate some 75 percent of the world's crop plants. Many of these pollinators are declining due to habitat loss, improper pesticide use and introduced diseases.
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A small, brightly colored frog balances between blades of grass.

Decline of Amphibian Populations: Humans ship frogs around the world through the pet and food trades. When frogs infected with chytridiomycosis—a lethal skin disease caused by the chytrid fungus—enter new habitats, the disease spreads, causing severe, global population declines.
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Kudzu vines completely covering the ground and large, towering shapes in the background.

Invasive Species: Invasive plants and animals thrive in areas outside their normal range, often at the expense of native species. Native to Japan and China, kudzu grows rapidly and aggressively in the south-central and eastern U.S.
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Bleached coral, branching structures underwater.

Coral Bleaching: As ocean temperatures warm due to climate change, corals become stressed and expel the internal, microscopic algae that give them color. Corals can survive mild and short bleaching episodes but are left vulnerable.
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A rhinoceros grazing beside a person, only visible from the chest down, holding a cylindrical weapon.

Rhino Poaching: Largely due to illegal poaching, all five rhinoceros species are currently endangered. Rhino horns are frequently used in traditional medicine, and rhino populations in Asia and Africa have dropped drastically as a result.
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Today

Conserving Animals' Habitats: Climate change threatens many animals' habitats, pushing species to smaller and non-native areas.

Today

New York City Goes Green: New York City implemented the ongoing PlaNYC initiative to address climate change, accommodate growing human populations and restore natural systems.

Today

Coastline of lush cliffs beside bright water, with bright skies above.

Five people on a boat, three of them standing, with coastline visible in background.

Working with Local Communities: AMNH’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) works with indigenous groups and other communities in the Solomon Islands to protect the area’s biodiversity. Together, scientists and communities develop incentives for forest and near-shore conservation.
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River running through grassy plain, with trees in the background.

Natural Areas Conservancy: This Conservancy, a private organization working with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, restores, protects and expands networks of blue and green spaces, promoting a healthy and livable New York City.
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A turtle walking along a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Stemming the Illegal Wildlife Trade: Half of all freshwater turtle and tortoise species are currently threatened with extinction. The Wildlife Conservation Society works to curtail the unsustainable harvest of wild animals while balancing the subsistence and economic needs of local people.
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A small bird, yellow, black, and white is perched on a small branch.

Project Safe Flight: Every year hundreds of migratory birds passing through New York City are injured or killed when they collide with tall, reflective buildings. New York City's Audubon Society initiated Project Safe Flight to prevent these collisions.
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Close-up on a lemur's face looking directly ahead.

Conservation Genetics in Action: In 2002, habitat fragmentation left a small group of black-and-white ruffed lemurs isolated. To ensure diversity, AMNH researchers used genetic analysis to locate genetically distinct individuals; introducing them avoided population collapse.
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Dry mountains in background with swamps surrounded by grass in foreground.

Private Groups for Conservation: In Idaho, the for-profit ranch, Lava Lake Lamb, works to conserve wildlife in their area. Private ranchers can contribute to conservation by allowing safe passage of wildlife between summer and winter feeding grounds.
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Future

Future of Conservation: Today's global population faces continuing challenges, requiring multifaceted approaches.