Protecting the Environment: Environmental Organizations


Environmental organizations are diverse groups of individuals and organizations who band together to advocate for the sustainable management of resources and the protection of the natural environment. These organizations have various goals and use various means to accomplish them. However, at the root of all of these groups is the desire to preserve the planet through changes in public policy and individual action.

Environmentalists have many perspectives


Sometimes environmentalists are thought of as "tree huggers" (the name comes from a group of women in India who wanted their forests protected from destruction and formed a human link around the forest so it could not be logged off) or people who want to preserve the natural world at the expense of any economic development. Environmentalists come from many backgrounds and have numerous reasons for wanting to preserve and protect the Earth.

The environmental movement ranges from large international organizations to grassroots movements of people who act at the community level. Environmentalists may be scientists, First Nations, social activists, religious practitioners, trappers, wilderness adventurers, or sport fishers.

They may even be found within industries that rely on the environment for survival, such as the forestry industry. Some of the main issues they address include making corporations accountable for their activities, protecting species, controlling global population and growth, eliminating poverty, and preserving natural habitat.

Environmental organizations perform many functions, from doing scientific research to monitoring pollution and preserving endangered species and their habitats, to lobbying governments and industry. Some organizations even resort to ecoterrorism to prevent environmental destruction. The actions of environmental organizations frequently draw public attention to important issues, which often results in action.

Some environmental groups operating in Canada include:

Alberta Wilderness Association
Ducks Unlimited
Greenpeace
First Nations Environmental Network
The Sierra Club
The World Wildlife Fund