The Equator Initiative

The Equator Initiative is a partnership that brings together the United Nations, civil society, business, governments and communities to help build the capacity and raise the profile of grassroots efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. A simple fact lies at the heart of the Equator Initiative's work: the world's greatest concentrations of biological wealth are found in the tropics, in countries that also have some of the highest levels of poverty. The good news is that communities are charting a path toward sustainability, creatively using biological resources for food, medicine, shelter and improved livelihoods in ways that raise incomes and protect the environment. The Equator Initiative champions and supports community efforts to link economic development and income generation with the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. The Equator Initiative's work is organized around four themes: The Equator Prize is a prestigious international award that recognizes outstanding local efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. An innovative programme of community and local-global dialogues, learning exchanges and meetings, Equator Dialogues celebrate local successes, share experiences and inform policy. Equator Knowledge is a comprehensive research and learning initiative dedicated to synthesizing lessons from local conservation and poverty reduction practice. Equator Ventures is a unique investment program focused on blended finance and capacity development for biodiversity enterprises in the most biodiversity-rich locations of the world.

News and Events
Recommendations for Action World Environment Day Message - Berlin, Germany	Equator Initiative communities are the focus of research projects at the University of Manitoba’s NRI. More	Introducing the MDG Poster Book and Digital Tooklit. More	Equator Initiative and GEF Small Grant Programme launch joint publication at COP8 of the CBD in Curitiba, Brazil. More	Equator Prize finalists highlighted in World Resources 2005 Report. More	Equator Initiative partners with Aveda and Tribal Link Foundation during the UN PFII. More