For More Background on Lecture 2
---Conservation International.  Mission: to conserve the earth's liveing natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature.  Look here for information about each of the 25 biodiversity hotspots presented in lecture.

Special Focus on Plants
---Center for Plant Conservation at the Missouri Botanical Garden.
---Program on Conservation and Wildlife at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Some Other Interesting Sites
---The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre - established in 2000 as the world biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United Nations Environment Programme. 
---National Audubon Society.  Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
---National Wildlife Federation.  The National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment.
---The Nature Conservancy.  Our Mission: To preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
---Science and Conservation Program at the Smithsonian Institution / National Zoological Park. 
---United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  The Mission of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
---World Wildlife Fund.  WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: protecting endangered spaces, saving endangered species and addressing global threats.