A wide variety of ecosystems and terrains, including lush rainforests, flowing freshwater rivers, islands, mountains, lakes, and deserts make the Western Hemisphere the region with the greatest biological diversity on the planet.

The region holds half of the world’s tropical forests, over thirty percent of the earth’s available freshwater, and close to fifty percent of the species known to science. It is the world’s richest genetic reservoir.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service International Affairs Program works in the Western Hemisphere to conserve priority species, habitats, and ecological processes across landscapes with high biodiversity value. Learn more about our programs by clicking on the images below.