Wikipedia:Today's featured article/June 26, 2016
Seacology is a nonprofit charity headquartered in Berkeley, California, that focuses on preserving island ecosystems and cultures. It originated with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox in the village of Falealupo in Samoa. When the villagers were being pressured to sell logging rights to their rainforest in 1988 to build a new school, Cox and his wife offered to help secure funds in return for an agreement with the villagers to protect their forest. Cox and the village chief, Fuiono Senio (both pictured), later received the Goldman Environmental Prize for their efforts. As demand increased for similar projects on other islands, Cox, along with Bill Marré and Ken Murdock, founded Seacology in 1991. By 2016, the nonprofit had initiated 200 projects globally, helping to preserve 1,116 square miles (2,890 km2) of marine habitat and 946.7 square miles (2,452 km2) of terrestrial habitat. The organization fosters ecotourism, and has helped raise emergency funds following destructive tsunamis. It was featured in the music video "What About Now" by the American rock band Daughtry. (Full article...)