The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and its US chapter have teamed up with the world-renowned American Museum of Natural History to support the Museum's conservation efforts in the biologically rich and diverse Solomon Islands.

The Foundation's US chapter will grant funding for the implementation of the Museum's project for integrating community-driven protected areas and biodiversity research to strengthen conservation gains across the Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islands lie at a crossroads, separating the rich continents of Australasia and the isolated islands of a sprawling Pacific. Few oceanic archipelagos support a greater proportion of the Earth's living diversity, or a richer array of human ways of life and languages. The Solomon's' biological and cultural wealth is imminently threatened by poorly regulated large-scale resource extraction.

"The American Museum of Natural History is proud to partner with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and its US chapter in supporting conservation efforts in the Solomon Islands, where the Museum has worked for many years," said Ellen V. Futter, President of the Museum.

"This partnership will further the mission of the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation to mitigate critical threats to global biological and cultural diversity, while bringing scientific research to bear on policy and community-building efforts around the world."

"The biodiversity and living systems of the Solomons provide cultural and physical sustenance to its people and serve as a critical natural laboratory for global scientific research," said Dr. Eleanor Sterling, director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History.

"Conserving these systems will take a major step forward as a result of our partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Working together with the Foundation to forge Community Conservation Agreements assists our efforts to partner directly with indigenous people working to implement resource management strategies. The incentive for landholding groups to achieve their development and livelihood goals is provided, and balanced in exchange for the delivery of community-based biodiversity conservation efforts."