Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) works in more than 30 countries and has projects in all 50 of the United States. The Conservancy has over one million members, and has protected more than 119 million acres of wild-lands and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide. TNC has taken an active interest in China, the world's most populated nation, and in many important ways, a critical center of global development. The following is an interview with multiple directors of The Nature Conservancy's China Program. Mongabay: Please tell our readers about the background and history of The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) work in China. Zhang Shuang, Director of TNC China Program: Though TNC is a big international organization, we started small in China, in the critically important Northwest corner of the province of Yunnan. We were invited by the Yunnan provincial government to help them complete a regional conservation plan. That was in 1998. We still operate a number of projects in Yunnan but now have also expanded site work into Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, and the Yangtze River Basin. While the opportunities and need for addressing environmental challenges in China are enormous, we still try to focus our work on select areas, where we can really have an impact. This includes addressing climate change (through restoring forests and creating adaptation strategies), introducing new models of protected areas while strengthening existing conservation landscapes, and minimizing the impact of hydropower and other development in the Yangtze River Basin, China's heartland.

Like many Americans, the last food I cooked over a fire I was outside and cooking marshmallows for smores. Unfortunately 2.5 billion people worldwide depend on indoor fires fueled with wood, coal, or charcoal to cook their meals. Biomass fuel consumption by the rural poor accounts for approximately ¼ of global CO2 emissions. These fires [...]

With the summer months approaching us faster than we think, most people want to head to the beach or at least somewhere they can cool down. Many people are much busier during the summer months: people are driving more and going on day trips, the kids are off from school, and Snooki (or many people [...]

When you look into the eyes of man’s best friend, what do you think they see? Their food source? Their home? The lazy guy who only watches football on Sundays instead of taking them to the park to play frisbee? Well, if you really are interested in finding out what your pup is actually thinking, [...]