Saving Something Wild

This July, the World Conservation Union announced that the West African black rhinoceros is now feared extinct and that a third of Africa's rhino subspecies are "effectively lost" in a region where poaching and ongoing conflict make conservation efforts all but impossible. Yet, the news isn't all bleak. "The South Africans have done a great job with their [rhino conservation] program, and the Sumatran program has rhino protection units," says Rick Barongi, director of the Houston Zoo and the vice chair for African rhinos at the International Rhino Fund (IRF). Barongi adds that the rhinoceros is "a flagship species, a charismatic megavertebrate. If you put the money in to preserve the habitat for the big animal, the smaller animals, the birds and the insects can survive too." Even if you never visit Sumatra or the South African veldt, you can donate to international wildlife groups and purchase products that help maintain habitats and build economic alternatives to poaching.

To start, give to the non-profit International Rhino Fund (or enroll in their Sumatran rhino adoption plan) to save species in Africa and Asia (www.rhinos-irf.org). You can also visit the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Borneo and assist the Rhino Protection Unit in collecting survey data on the animals' demographics, behavior and nutrition ($1,206/7-day tour; www.sosrhino.org; see ecotour sources below). Or support the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, a consortium of conservation groups and scientists dedicated to conserving rhinos, elephants and all other animals threatened by the trade in wild game; donate at www.bushmeat.org.

Rainforest Products

Last year in the Amazon rainforest an area the size of half of Switzerland was converted to soybean fields and cattle pasture. Purchasing rainforest products such as tagua nut (see "All's Fair"), helps keep rainforest land economically productive, encouraging its maintenance. The wine of the açai berry is considered by Greenpeace, "the most financially viable non-wood forest product from the Amazon's delta" and is high in anti-oxidants. Fair Trade Federation member Sambazon's certified organic açai smoothies are available in mango, strawberry, cherry, soy and their superfood blend ($7.99/32 oz. bottle; www.vitaminshoppe.com).

Ecotours

Although tourism does cause environmental damage, sensitive ecotourists can bring needed income to national parks and conservation areas. The Rainforest Alliance has built its Sustainable Tourism Certification Network of the Americas through partnerships with tour operators in 25 different South and North American countries. For travel options, see www.eco-indextourism.org. For destinations in Africa, the Pacific and elsewhere, see listings at The International Ecotourism Society (www.ecotourism.org). And to offset some of your flight's emissions of the global warming gas carbon dioxide, you can support alternative energy programs around the world, through www.atmosfair.de (with its CO2 calculator for individual flights) and www.betterworldclub.com. For more green travel tips, see www.thegreenguide.com.

Habitat Conservation

To help protect the habitats of animals on the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Animals, donate to a conservation fund through Art for the Animals. In return, you (or someone you designate) will receive a gift made by local artisans. A $15 donation to the Michoacan Reforestation Fund will get you a Pine Needle Butterfly ornament and help maintain the threatened winter resting grounds for Monarch butterflies (www.artfortheanimals.org).

Finally, to avoid products made from threatened species, such as coral, see the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (www.cites.org).