Our work is centered in Sulawesi, Indonesia–one of Earth’s most unique biological treasure-houses. At the invitation of local communities, AlTo forges partnerships to protect and restore imperiled species, tropical rainforests, and other natural ecosystems while supporting the dignity and self-sufficiency of local communities in a changing world.
Indonesia is the world’s biodiversity capital, with more plant and animal species in its terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments than almost any other country in the world. Indonesia also has among the most endangered species of any country in the world, most of them endangered by human activities.
The Alliance for Tompotika Conservation / Aliansi Konservasi Tompotika, called “Al-To” for short, is an international partnership dedicated to helping heal the relationship between people and the rest of nature, starting in one very special place: the Tompotika peninsula on Indonesia’s island of Sulawesi.
The AlTo alliance was formed when local villagers in Taima, Tompotika, asked visiting conservation biologist Marcy Summers to help them prevent the disappearance of the endangered maleo bird in their area. Assembling a team of local, national, and international participants working side by side, the group launched AlTo’s first maleo conservation effort in 2006.
AlTo is a partnership of a registered Yayasan non-governmental organization in Indonesia and a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the United States, with Boards in both countries.
Our Earth is in crisis. AlTo works directly with local communities to search for solutions, because we believe that meaningful change begins with real people, who wake up to birdsong, get dirt under their fingernails, and dream of their children’s futures. And, just as the whole world contributes to our current planetary crisis, so the whole world must join together to heal it.