The mission of the World Resources Institute (WRI) is to move human society to live in ways that protect earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Its focus is on the provision of information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that will foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development.
The Institute has more than 120 employees. Its board of directors is international in scope and includes representatives drawn from senior levels of the academic and business communities, the United Nations and non‐governmental organizations. The Institute works with groups in more than 50 countries.
The home page of the Web site is very simply laid out. On the left is a selection of links that allow easy access to important information about the organization, its publications and other important subsections of the site. There are also links for standard operations such as searching the site, accessing several indexes to the site, and providing feedback.
On the right side of the home page there are links that provide access to information on several broad topics such as climate change, development paths and sustainable enterprise. There are also numerous links to news items and developments of current interest.
There is much information to be found at this site. Some of the major sections deal with:
Biodiversity ‐ diversity of biological resources, ecosystems, and bioregional management.
WRI climate protection initiative ‐ enhancing liaison with the business community.
Environmental education ‐ environmental education materials for young people.
Forest frontiers initiative ‐ co‐operative effort to promote stewardship of the world’s last major frontier forests.
International financial flows and the environment ‐ project to raise awareness of environmental considerations in investment decision making.
Protecting the atmosphere ‐ policy choices can contribute to the build‐up of atmospheric pollutants, disrupting the earth’s natural cycles in the future.
Sustainable agriculture ‐ opportunities for resource‐conserving agricultural practices and the impacts of agriculture policy reform.
Many of the Institute’s publications can be ordered online although an electronic form is not provided. There is also an online archive that contains the full text and graphics from more than 100 reports, research notes, case studies, and papers published by the Institute since 1982. Finally, there are links to many other related Internet sites. They have been gathered together conveniently on a page that can be accessed directly from the home page.
This Web site is attractive, effective, and professional in appearance. On the upper‐level pages, there is a through‐going design motif that allows the user to focus on the content. The site search engine and indexes greatly simplify the task of locating pertinent information.
This site reflects well on the World Resources Institute and is testament to the organization’s prominence and importance. It can be recommended to students, researchers, policy makers, and all others interested in learning about or safeguarding our environment.
