The Nature Conservancy in China

Get Involved

Receive our free e-newsletter and learn about our work to preserve biodiversity — in China and around the globe.

Photo Contest Slideshow

See some of the incredible photographs entered into the "Nature Reserves of China, Through the Viewfinder" photo contest.

“The situation in the Yunnan Province is totally changed from what it was even ten years ago. There is a lot of hope for the future. The Nature Conservancy has energized conservation here.”

—Dr. Long Yongcheng, Conservancy Biologist

In the News

Read news about how the Conservancy is helping to protect biodiversity for people and nature in China.

10 Years of Conservation Progress

Read three of the stories showcasing the creative, results-driven strategies we’re putting into action – and the exciting success we’re having today:

Find out what else is new in the China program.

Yangtze River Fish Guide

The world’s largest freshwater fish makes its home in China’s Yangtze River. At least we hope it still does. Adult Chinese paddlefish have not been caught in the Yangtze since 2003, leading some to believe this ancient fish may be extinct.

To help protect species like the paddlefish, the Conservancy is working with scientists in China to develop an updated guide to the fish in the Yangtze River.

Conservation Blueprint Supports Earthquake Response

A massive earthquake wreaked unimaginable devastation in Sichuan Province in May 2008, killing nearly 70,000 people and causing untold billions of dollars worth of damage. Soon after the quake, the Sichuan government called The Nature Conservancy for assistance with a rapid ecological assessment. Find out how our Blueprint Project helped create a science-grounded recovery plan.

The Panda Puzzle: China's Inconic Bear Provides Clues for U.S. Conservation

Tracking endangered giant pandas through the Wolong Nature Reserve — the heart of China’s panda conservation efforts — might seem like a biologist’s dream job. But after five years counting mounds of panda scat — and just one 10-minute glimpse of the elusive bears — researcher Scott Bearer was ready for a change. “It’s not nearly as glamorous as you might think,” he says.

Minimizing Dam Impact on the Yangtze River

As China’s demand for energy skyrockets, so, too, does pressure to harness the power of the mighty Yangtze River. The Nature Conservancy is engaging with dam builders and public agencies to improve how the dams are designed and operated.

Climate Change: A Sacred Glacier Recedes

Climate change is causing glaciers in China's northwest Yunnan Province — including a glacier on one of Tibetan Buddhism's eight sacred mountains — to recede at a historic pace, according to findings by Nature Conservancy scientists.

Pudacuo National Park: China's First National Park

The Nature Conservancy has helped China achieve a conservation landmark: the establishment of that country's first national park, which will also serve as a model for a new Chinese national park system.

Conserving China's Yangtze River

The achievement of ecological sustainability on the Yangtze is an overwhelming challenge — but one that the Conservancy is meeting head-on. While many factors threaten to degrade the diversity of the Yangtze, scientists have determined the greatest threat to be the construction and management of hydropower dams.

China's Sacred Geography

High above the Mekong River valley is Yubeng, a village of 25 houses. Yubeng is a stop along the pilgrimage routes of Meili Snow Mountain — one of the most sacred mountain in Tibetan Buddhism and an important site for The Nature Conservancy's work in China's Yunnan Province.