SUBIR integrates conservation and development. Photo by Kimberly Conger © CARE 2001.

Epilogue
We walked away from our trip malaria-free, canoe-friendly and feeling more connected and excited about the SUBIR Project.

Many people know CARE as an organization that provides relief during emergencies. That's actually just a small part of CARE. CARE's true mandate is long-term community development. And because CARE is not strictly an environmental or conservation organization, you would not find CARE working on a project that dealt only with nature, without people being included in the equation. But CARE has recognized that environmental conservation is frequently part and parcel of improving the lives of poor people in the developing world. And increasingly, the organization is integrating its poverty alleviation programs with programs that conserve and protect the environment.

Throughout the world, conservation has become a controversial subject. Some would like to divorce communities from their natural environment, arguing that their presence constitutes an ecological disaster. But through the SUBIR example, CARE has developed a way to accommodate communities with their environment, identifying strategies to guarantee the survival and sustainable use of resources while, at the same time, satisfying human needs and improving quality of life.

That's what made this project visit special to me -- seeing first-hand the integration between conservation and development, and that it can work to break the vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation.

SUBIR is a proven model that can be shared across borders.