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About WCS

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild lands. We do so through sound science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. WCS was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society. At present, WCS has over 100 PhD conservationists and 100 research fellows working on more than 400 projects throughout the world, and has the largest field staff of any US-based international conservation organization.
WCS’s strategy is to support comprehensive fieldwork to understand wildlife needs, train local conservation professionals, and work with in-country staff to protect and manage wildlife populations for the future. Familiarity with local conditions allows WCS conservationists to effectively translate data from the field into conservation actions and policies. WCS has helped establish more than 120 protected areas around the world, totaling more than 52.6 million hectares.
The field programs of WCS benefit from the technical support of specialists based at the Society’s Bronx Zoo headquarters in New York. The Living Landscapes Program provides guidance to issues related to conserving critical species and ecosystems across landscape. The Wildlife Institute provides analytical assistance for complex scientific problems and addresses and facilitates communications among conservation scientist on a range of issues. The Field Veterinarian Program is the first of its kind, sending health experts around to globe to help treat wildlife,and train local veterinarians. WCS’s curatorial staff serves as advisors to field programs. The Education Department writes school curricula that address conservation issues, and hosting teacher training workshops around the world.
 
Indonesia Program
 
Indonesia is ranked as one of the two most important ‘mega-diversity’ countries in the world. Despite covering only 1.3% of the Earth’s land surface, Indonesia contains a high proportion of the world’s species, including 17% of bird, 12% of mammal, 16% of reptile and amphibian, 25% of fish, 33% of insects, and 10% of the flowering plant species. This along with a high diversity of cultures make it one of the richest and challenging countries in which to work. WCS recognizes the importance of Indonesia to global conservation, and is working to save its wildlife and wild lands. The WCS Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) began working in Indonesia in 1965 and established a formal country program in 1991. Using a “muddy boots” method to conservation, we identify critical conservation issues, find sciencebased solutions to these problems, and achieve tangible, on-the-ground success that benefits wildlife and wild places. Today, a staff of 120 and scientists across 14 sites works to advance conservation through four main approaches. 

Good Science  
Most of our efforts begin with gathering data on the natural and human landscapes through surveys and explorations. WCS also conducts ongoing monitoring of wildlife and habitats to assess the success of conservation efforts. With the emergence of research tools such as camera traps, geographic information systems, remote sensing, and DNA technologies, WCS conservationists have been able to monitor wildlife and ecological trends in much finer detail than ever before. As a result, WCS has collected one of the most extensive field information on the status and habitats of tigers, elephants, babirusa, primates, and hornbills.

Conservation Action 
With sound data in hand, we work with our partners to achieve conservation including direct interventions for protecting endangered species, creating new approaches to publicprivate partnerships for conservation, empowering local communities and governments to manage their wildlife resources, affecting national and local regulations, influencing international conservation and natural resource management policies, and assisting in management of protected areas.
 
Building capacity
Through training and mentoring of Indonesian scientists and conservationists, WCS helps build the next generation of conservation leaders. We have helped train hundreds of forestry staff, local NGO members, university faculty and students, and community members in conservation principles and techniques.
 
Education
Our wildlife and wild places have a lot to teach us. WCS works with our partners to educate people about the value of wildlife and wild places in order to gain their support. We work to help bridge the connection between nature and the people who are most important in their protection through lectures, books, scientific and popular articles, and community awareness campaigns.
 
 

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