The Neotropical Grassland Conservancy (NGC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the conservation of savannas, gallery forests, wetlands, and associated ecosystems in Central and South America.

These Neotropical grassland ecosystems are the unheralded counterparts of the rain forest. Comprising over 250 million hectares (~625 million acres), these threatened areas receive little attention yet they host numerous threatened plants and animals, sustain fisheries, and provide water to millions of people.

If these ecological systems are to be preserved, it is the in-country scientists, professors, students and landowners who will best affect attitudes and land use practices and make the difference between habitat preservation and destruction.

The NGC provides equipment and grants to students and scientists from Central and South America working in grassland habitats. Proposals are reviewed quarterly by a panel of scientists and are awarded based on merit and need. We encourage growth of local conservation programs and create lasting relationships with funded research groups.

In 2003-2004, we supported projects and students in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, and Venezuela. Projects focused on birds, frogs, snakes, lizards, fish, and mammals. The NGC also funded the publication of an important conservation book and sent three students to an international conference.

Our philosophy promotes cost-effective ways to impact conservation efforts of grasslands, empowers local people and launches careers, and creates a valuable network of promising scientists and students.

You can help by donating equipment and becoming a member. We always need donations of binoculars, GPS units, mist nets, camping supplies, cameras, digital cameras, and video cameras. If you have something else you would like to donate, please contact us. Membership donations buy equipment or support student grants. One hundred percent of your donation goes towards our programs.

Our dedicated interns and board members volunteer their time and donate all administrative costs, so every dollar you give goes directly toward conservation. Donors of equipment or money receive tax benefits as well as descriptions of the funded research projects and awarded student grants at the end of the year.