Collaborative Networks
The CBC convenes, leads, and fosters groups of people and organizations in lasting collaborations that generate knowledge, increase our understanding of conservation challenges, and prioritize areas for action.
Palmyra Atoll Research Coordination Network
The National Science Foundation-funded Palmyra Atoll Research Coordination Network (PARCnet) supported a consortium of institutions working to conduct research across the physical, chemical, and biological sciences at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Central Pacific. Chaired by CBC Chief Conservation Scientist Dr. Eleanor Sterling from 2006-2012, the consortium developed a multifaceted organizational structure, coordinated the research at a remote field research station and developed a comprehensive Master Science Plan that encompasses the research activities of its participants. By coordinating over seven years of synergistic research, PARCnet contributed to basic knowledge of the terrestrial, marine, and climate systems of Palmyra Atoll and the central Pacific and to advancing the conservation of island and coastal systems worldwide. The findings from this research are significant and far-reaching, and the collaborations facilitating the research are long lasting.
Southeast Asia Wildlife Trade Network
A major threat to biodiversity in Southeast Asia is the illegal wildlife trade. The CBC has partnered with Vietnam National University, the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and the National University of Laos to develop a biodiversity conservation research network that strengthens the existing research and conservation activities in these countries. The network supports coordinated data collection, DNA database mapping, and capacity building for multidisciplinary research to inform management of the wildlife trade in this region. A key output from this network will be a DNA database for all protected animal species in Indochina to aid in wildlife trade monitoring and enforcement efforts. Learn more about our research on wildlife trade in Vietnam.
Groupo de Conservation Flamencos Altoandinos
The Grupo de Conservación Flamencos Altoandinos (GCFA) is a regional conservation initiative in the range countries of the Andean and Puna Flamingos (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru) working to protect flamingos and their wetland habitats. The GCFA coordinates regional research and monitoring, education and outreach, conservation and management, and institutional capacity development activities. The goal of the GCFA is to implement a long-term conservation strategy that will ensure the functional integrity of the wetland complexes that are crucial for flamingo conservation.
Past Initiatives
Reefs Tomorrow Initiative
A collaboration between academic institutions and conservation organizations begun in 2012, the Reefs Tomorrow Initiative (RTI) aims to advance coral reef science and management through interdisciplinary study of reef resilience. Working with managers to apply this new understanding to reef conservation, RTI’s Conservation team, led by CBC Chief Conservation Scientist Dr. Eleanor Sterling, consists of a number of U.S. and Pacific scientist and reef managers.
As a part of RTI, the CBC hosted the 2013 Milstein Science Symposium Understanding Ecological and Social Resilience in Island Systems: Informing Policy and Sharing Lessons for Management. In response to feedback from RTI's reef manager advisors, we are developing a series of short videos to translate RTI’s research for Pacific Island communities who manage reefs.
Scarabnet
Scarabnet is an international group of dung beetle taxonomists, ecologists and systematists working together to conserve scarabaeine dung beetles and support their use as an invertebrate focal taxon for biodiversity study and conservation.