Population, Consumption & The Environment - Homepage

The John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Foundation has been at the forefront in recognizing the need to develop rigorous, interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the complex interactions among population, consumption and the environment. In response, the foundation created a foccussed program straddling ecosystem conservation and population.

The goal of the Population, Consumption, and Environment Program has been to help create a new, interdisciplinary field of scientific study with significant policy implications. A total of 40 projects (approximately US $ 7 million) have been funded through the Population, Consumption, and Environment initiative since 1995. Since 1997, the PCE Program has focussed mainly on coastal ecosystems, as these areas support the highest rate of population growth in the world and are in many cases at greatest risk of ecological collapse.

This website summarizes the findings of MacArthur-funded studies of Population, Consumption and Environment in the coastal zones. It discusses policy implications of this and other work in the field, and directs visitors to further resources, including a photo library, other websites, institutions, and papers.

A small part of the funding from MacArthur for the PCE project has been allocated to support scanning and distribution of all papers from the International Coral Reef Symposium 1-8. The proceedings of these 8 symposia provide important snapshots of the state of coral reef science and research at the time of publication. The papers can be accessed via a dedicated webpage on ReefBase: International Coral Reef Symposium (ICRS) Proceedings

This website was developed by WorldFish Center, an international research center committed to improving the lives of poor people in developoing countries, through environmentally sound management and use of fisheries and other living aquatic resources.