Pacific Center For International Studies

History

The Pacific Center For International Studies was established in 1983 in
Berkeley, California by William Burns, the organization's current Director. The
Center moved to its current location in Madison, Wisconsin in 1985.

The Center is staffed by one full-time staff member and a coterie of
volunteers who concentrate on individual projects. The decision to staff the
organization primarily with volunteers reflects our philosophy that a large paid
staff would necessitate an excessive focus on fund-raising, or engender
co-optation by large contributors. While the structure of our organization
somewhat limits the scope of our activities, we willingly accept the trade-offs
because it ensures that we concentrate on our mission, and are not unduly
influenced by any outside interests. Additionally, it helps to engender the
spirit of community volunteerism that we believe is essential to confront the
environmental crises we face in the 1990s and beyond.

The Center's work is also assisted through the input of its
Board Of Advisors, which includes
scholars and policymakers from throughout the world. The
Center often seeks to add members to the Board; for further information, please
contact us.

Mission Statement

The world faces an extinction spasm of unprecedented proportions, with dire
implications for the ecosystem of this planet in the next century. The
overarching purpose of the Center is to contribute to the protection and
conservation of endangered species of fauna and flora throughout the world.

The Center's work is focused on critiquing the efficacy of international
wildlife treaty regimes, such as The
Convention On Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora (CITES), and The International Convention For The Regulation Of Whaling. We seek to proffer suggestions
to relevant policymakers as how to improve the framework of such agreements, as
well as their implementation. We also seek to increase public awareness of the
importance of international law in conserving endangered species.

In the context of wildlife conservation issues, the Center's work is
controlled by the following principles:

• There is a moral component to protecting fauna and flora species.
  Species other than homo sapiens are worthy of protection not merely on
  the basis of their utilitarian value as a "resource" to man, but also
  on the basis of their intrinsic right to co-exist on this planet.

• Effective conservation strategies require the cooperation of
  governmental and non-governmental organizations, as well as the active
  participation and assent of the citizenry of all nations;

• Policymaking in the context of wildlife conservation should be guided
  by the best scientific information available at the time, and should utilize the
  precautionary principle adopted as Principle 15 of the Rio Declaration, adopted
  at the United Nations Conference On Environment & Development in 1992;

• Effective conservation strategies require the utilization of anecosystems
  approach which recognizes that multi-species management is a critical
  component.

Occasional Paper Series

Current Center Projects

• Shark Education Network (SEN)

• Small Cetacean Project

• Desertification Project

• Climate Change Project

PCIS - Canada

The Center has recently established an office in Canada. Check out this link for the latest information on PCIS-Canada's projects (information available only in English, but soon in French also).

For more information about the Center, contact Wil Burns, Pacific Center For International Studies, 33 University Square, Suite 184, Madison, WI 53715, (608) 256-6312 (ph./fax). E-mail: wcburns1@students.wisc.edu