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		The Nature Conservancy in Illinois Illinois   Contact   Places We Protect   Field Trips & Events   Press Releases   Volunteer   Ways of Giving

The Nature Conservancy and Caterpillar Inc. announce the launch of the Great Rivers Partnership

The Nature Conservancy and Caterpillar Inc., through its Caterpillar Foundation, have embarked on the Great Rivers Partnership, an ambitious effort to guide protection of the world’s imperiled freshwater systems and transform the way large working river systems are preserved and protected.

The purpose of the partnership is to create a new model for sustaining the world’s great river systems and the plants, animals and people that depend on them. A central component of this new project is the Great Rivers Center for Conservation and Learning. It will be at the heart of transforming how these magnificent and critical systems are protected.

The Conservancy ranks conservation of great rivers among its global priorities.  The gift from Caterpillar Inc. will support conservation of large river systems on three continents:

• The Mississippi River basin in the United States
• Brazil’s Paraguay-Parana River system
• China’s Yangtze River

Beginning with these three rivers, and expanding beyond this core group to ultimately include other great rivers, the Conservancy has initiated a coordinated approach to the conservation, restoration and sustainable development of these important ecosystems.

Great rivers generally are defined as large-floodplain rivers with seasonal floods that are sufficiently long-lasting, predictable and extensive. Plants, animals and people evolved to depend on the flood cycle for survival. These rivers are vital to the cultural heritage and economic prosperity of their regions. Unfortunately, the great rivers of the world face challenges from unsustainable agricultural practices, degrading flood management practices and harmful water flow restrictions.

The purpose of the Great Rivers Partnership is to create a new model for sustaining the world’s great river systems and the diversity of life that depends on these vital freshwater resources.