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Focus Areas

Environment

Helping countries develop multifaceted strategies to protect their natural resources

Our planet’s natural resources are under threat: From a changing climate, ever-growing demand, and overuse. The data tell us that time is running out to make meaningful changes to the way humans interact with the planet. But science is also showing us there are effective solutions we can use today.

RTI integrates scientific expertise from diverse disciplines into technical approaches that protect biodiversity, combat wildlife crime, foster good environmental governance, ensure critical conservation, and take bold steps to address climate change and build resilience.

Our Approach

At RTI, we recognize that human actions have catastrophic effects on the natural world, as well as our own health, security, and wellbeing. We utilize approaches such as Planetary Health to develop solutions that protect natural resources, address climate change, and promote long-term economic well-being. 

RTI’s environmental work covers the protection of critical biodiversity, improved conservation practices of key landscapes and seascapes, combating wildlife crime, fostering good environmental governance, strengthening the resilience of communities, as well as ensuring effective stakeholder and private sector engagement. Our approach to good governance accounts for the economic, natural, and socio-political-institutional dimensions of complex problems and is backed by cutting-edge governance tools and frameworks, including Applied Political Economy Analyses and USAID’s Nature, Wealth, and Power Framework.

As a nonprofit research institute that invests in self-funded research and development, we leverage scientific expertise from a range of disciplines within RTI and integrate this into our technical approaches for more effective and sustainable project results. As part of our commitment to improving the human condition, we invest strongly in local staff and partners, prioritize local ownership, and bring an inclusive, wide network of stakeholders to the table.

The Evolution of Combating Wildlife Trafficking: What's Next?

Once seen as a conservation issue, combating wildlife trafficking (CWT) has evolved to showcase its “malignant” effects on national/regional security; local, regional, and national economies; and public health by way of zoonotic disease. At the epicenter of tackling CWT’s effects is strong governance.