About Conservation International
Fighting to protect nature for people.
About Us
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Since 1987, Conservation International has worked to spotlight and secure the critical benefits that nature provides to humanity.
Combining fieldwork with innovations in science, policy and finance, we’ve helped protect more than 6 million square kilometers (2.3 million square miles) of land and sea across more than 70 countries.
Today, with offices in more than two dozen countries and a worldwide network of thousands of partners, our reach is truly global. But we couldn't have made it this far without you. Your contributions support our work to protect nature for the benefit of us all.
Our Mission
Building upon a strong foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, Conservation International empowers societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global biodiversity, for the well-being of humanity.
Our Vision
We imagine a healthy, prosperous world in which societies are forever committed to caring for and valuing nature, for the long-term benefit of people and all life on Earth.
OUR PRIORITIES
Nature is life: The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat — it all comes from nature. And we have a plan to keep it safe:
We protect forests that absorb and store climate-warming carbon by working with businesses and governments to account for their impacts on forests; enabling private investment in forest protection initiatives; and helping local and Indigenous communities protect forests on their lands.
We seek to double the world’s ocean area under protection while innovating new ways to sustain marine fisheries. We do this by helping countries secure and monitor their waters; enabling the inclusion of coastal habitats in climate policies; and disrupting damaging practices in the seafood sector.
We promote self-sustaining, conservation-based economies in areas with the most importance for people and nature. We do this by creating new conservation funding models and production models for commodities, balancing demand with protection of essential natural resources.
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Our Approach
The threats to nature are as varied as they are complex. That's why we employ several different strategies to meet these challenges:
Innovation in science
Science has always guided our work, and we rely on research as the foundation of conservation. We are one of the few conservation organizations with a global science team, the Moore Center for Science, dedicated solely to advancing conservation science. Research published by Conservation International scientists is cited more than that of any other U.S. conservation organization, and even leading universities.
Learn how we innovate in science »
Innovation in Finance
To protect nature at the necessary scale, we work to make investing in nature a viable — and valuable — investment. From our launch of the world's first debt-for-conservation swap in Bolivia in 1987 to our pioneering Carbon Fund, which enables companies to invest in the protection of forests to stabilize the climate, Conservation International is changing the equation to make nature more valuable alive than destroyed.
Learn how we innovate in finance »
Partnering with Indigenous communities
Respect for Indigenous peoples' rights is essential to our mission. Indigenous peoples manage only 20% of the world’s land, yet this land holds 80% of global biodiversity. Despite this, Indigenous peoples have legal right to only about 6% of the world’s land, and often, these rights are restricted in practice. Conservation International follows the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent — the right of Indigenous peoples to give or withhold their consent for any action affecting their lands or rights.
Learn how we partner with communities »
Working with governments
We provide governments with cutting-edge science that helps guide sound policy decisions for conservation and human well-being. Our data, methods and tools assist governments in understanding the value of oceans, forests, grasslands, water supplies and wildlife populations, and help to inform actions necessary to protect these vital natural resources.
Learn how we work with governments »
Engaging with corporations
We believe that corporations have a responsibility to invest in the conservation of the nature their businesses rely on. We work within and across sectors, in collaboration with companies and industry associations, to achieve large-scale impact, to align the market with environmentally friendly policies, and to help businesses adopt more sustainable production practices.
Learn how we engage with corporations »