Now it is easier than ever to find detailed information about conservation projects in Latin America through the Eco-Index, an Internet resource managed by the Rainforest Alliance. The Alliance launched a redesigned and expanded Eco-Index site earlier this month to help busy conservationists more speedily discover what their colleagues are doing in the region.
The Eco-Index now has information about more than 550 projects of 400 nongovernmental organizations and government ministries throughout the Neotropics, including all four biodiversity hotspots where CEPF supports projects. The site is in English and Spanish, while profiles of Brazil-based projects are also available in Portuguese. The database is searchable by keyword, country, organization, funders and/or by 70 different categories.
Each project profile holds a wealth of well-organized information, such as objectives, accomplishments, budget, donors and lessons learned. Details about available reports or studies are included, with many available in PDF format for immediate downloading. Reports are downloaded from the site some 6,000 times each month, so if you want to ensure that your studies are reaching the people who can truly learn from them, the Eco-Index is the best choice for low-cost distribution.
The Eco-Index's
"What's New?" page is an online environmental magazine, updated each month. Read interviews with foundation officers and researchers in the field, highlights of exceptional new projects, a newsletter featuring articles about Neotropical conservation projects and more.
According to Diane Jukofsky, director of Neotropics Communications at the Rainforest Alliance, there are
more than 20 CEPF-funded projects already in the Eco-Index database, with more added each month.
"We've chosen some of the most innovative CEPF-funded projects to receive our special monthly awards," she said. "For example,
'Creation and Effective Management of Forest Protected Areas in Peru' was recently recognized for its use of a particularly helpful monitoring and evaluation methodology."
Project directors submit information on the Eco-Index via a template questionnaire,
available on-site or upon request by sending an e-mail to
eco-index.org. To ensure the quality of information, Eco-Index staff members, based in New York and Costa Rica, carefully edit, fact check and translate each questionnaire.
Jukofsky noted that the popularity of the Eco-Index continues to grow, with more than 16,000 visitors each month. "Through the Eco-Index the conservation community is establishing a permanent record of innovative efforts to safeguard biodiversity in the Neotropics," she said. She urged directors of the many conservation projects supported by CEPF in the region to submit their completed questionnaires and share their knowledge and experiences.