The protection of life, of the bio- and ecospheres by means of environmental disaster prevention and response as well as crisis management is the overall goal of our work and rapid, direct and equal access to endangered areas and victims is mandatory.

Members as well as volunteers, associates, staff, donors and supporters of ECO˛TERRA with their professional work, their personal involvement or by means of their contributions, commit themselves towards the preservation, active protection and sound development of the natural foundations of life forming the base for all people.

OUR TASKS

The basic tasks of the Association are the elaboration of solutions up front to safeguard nature and those people, who live with it in harmony, the promotion of research concerning environmental questions or concerning adapted technologies, and the transfer of existing or newly developed knowledge into practical work, in order to:

  • prevent environmental degradation

  • safeguard the intact environment

  • preserve the diversity of fauna and flora

  • protect first peoples and their natural habitat

  • achieve a change in trend within damaged ecological systems

and therefore to:

  • maintain the optimum freedom for a decent life and a sound economy of people.

Thus, the priority tasks of ECO˛TERRA are:

  • to save endangered lives, safeguard biodiversity and protect ecosystems and habitats,

  • to prevent, unveil and combat oppression or destruction of people, their natural habitat or of nature itself, and

  • to improve the quality of life, whilst respecting and realising the interdependence of mankind with its undisturbed and intact, natural environment.

ECO˛TERRA and its members thereby respect the sound cultural, social, religious,  economic and political framework given in different areas as well as the applicable scientific realities, but especially the local wisdom, social customs, cultural and religious values as far as they are appropriate and do not violate human, environmental, civil or nature’s rights, international laws or conventions.

How does ECO˛TERRA achieve and realise its goal and tasks?

ECO˛TERRA supports and carries out programmes and projects, specifically designed by the expertise of our professional staff and in co-operation with the local people concerned, for the benefit of the natural heritage and local communities in their struggle to live an independent life in dignity, freedom and peace, adapted to the natural environment and oriented towards the safeguarding of nature and creation of advantages for future generations.

Though our policy focuses on a holistic approach, the selection process (necessary due to the abundance of existing problems) gives priority to the design and implementation of specific ECO˛TERRA programmes and projects, which are outlined to help:

  • the NATURE first,

therefore care for the future of today’s children as well as for the generations to come, and thus follow the humanitarian imperative.

In an intact natural environment ECO˛TERRA is committed to assist

  • the VULNERABLE PEOPLE first

However, to balance the complex and delicate interrelations between people and their natural environment and to generate synergetic effects supporting the re-establishment of an equilibrium or an overall improvement of a given state of nature or local situation, while preserving fragile ecosystems and protecting adapted but vulnerable human communities,  requires in most cases serious measures. They often might not appear so obviously as directly target oriented. Awareness creation in general, as well as immense work improving internal and external public relations and communications is therefore of eminent importance in order to avoid, prevent or combat counterproductive reactions caused by the misunderstanding of extra-ordinary strategies and operations.

In order to stop the further and quite often irreversible destruction of intact ecosystems including their adapted human communities PROTECTION, RESEARCH, EDUCATION and DEVELOPMENT have to be addressed in an integral, holistic way and implemented in parallel, interdisciplinary and with continuous interaction.

ECO˛TERRA’s Strategy is in general set:

  • to PREVENT problems first

or otherwise

  • to SOLVE the CAUSE (not the symptoms) of problems first;

and ECO˛TERRA is committed to work within its capacity on:

  • the most REMOTE problem first,

  • the most SEVERE problem first and

  • the most DIFFICULT problem first.