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Who We Are

Our Science

No matter the odds, we find the people and paths to make change possible

Scientist taking measurements of a trunk of a tree.
Tree Measuring at Two hearted River Reserve © Drew Kelly/TNC

Follow the Science

With a grounding in rigorous conservation science, we take innovative approaches from idea to impact, scaling to achieve system change.

Nicole Maher poses with a salt marsh core sample.

How Women Contribute to Conservation Around the World

Women help the global conservation community achieve success despite setbacks, obstacles, and a global pandemic.

How Women Do Science

A Climate for All of Us

The Nature Conservancy’s new chief scientist, Katharine Hayhoe, shares why she cares about climate change and her fears about who will be hit hardest by its impacts.

From our Chief Scientist
TNC Chief Scientist Katharine Hayhoe
Aerial view of a forest on the edge of a body of water.
Students doing field work As part of the HKJC education program, students test water in Hong Kong's streams. © Joe Cheung/TNC

One Conservancy Science 2024 Impact Report

Discover the impact of the One Conservancy Science Program at TNC, where over 1,000 scientists worked in 2024 to drive innovation, conservation, and real-world change.

Read the full report

Conservation by Design

Conservation by Design has unified our efforts around the world by providing a common language and consistent approach to conservation science across the diversity of systems, cultures and geographies.

Our Conservation Process
A close up of a hand highlighting a road along a map.
Mapping Plum Creek forester Steve Griswold examines a map of the Checkerboard forest. © Benjamin Drummond
A map uses shades of green, yellow, blue and brown to feature an aerial view of a landscape.
Geospatial Map A map made with geospatial technology is used on the cover of The Nature Conservancy's 2024 Geospatial Conservation Annual Report & Map Book. © The Nature Conservancy

Geospatial Annual Report Digital Companion

Discover the integral role of geospatial mapping technologies in prioritizing conservation science to achieve our goals and earn the best return on conservation investments around the world.

About the Latest Report

Our 2030 Goals

  • Avoid or sequester 3 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions annually

    Using the power of nature and strength of policy and markets to store carbon, support the renewable energy build-out and reduce emissions equivalent to nearly 10% of global emissions from fossil fuels. Learn about Natural Climate Solutions.

  • Help 100 million people at risk of climate-related emergencies

    Protecting and restoring the health of natural habitats—from mangroves and reefs to floodplains and forests—that help protect communities from storm surge, extreme rainfall, severe wildfires and sea level rise. How we're strengthening coastal resilience.

  • Conserve 4 billion hectares of ocean

    Making sure the oceans thrive through new and better-managed protected areas, global-scale sustainable fishing, innovative financing and positive policy changes to how the world governs the seas. Learn how climate-ready fisheries can restore ocean health.

  • Conserve 650 million hectares of land

    Partnering with communities across the globe to restore & improve management of working lands, support the leadership of Indigenous peoples as land stewards, & conserve critical forests, grasslands and other habitats rich in carbon & biodiversity. Explore our conservation projects around the world.

  • Conserve 30M hectares of lakes & wetlands, 1M kilometers of river systems

    Promoting innovative solutions and policies that improve the quality and amount of water available in freshwater ecosystems and to communities. Read more on our sustainable rivers projects.

  • Support 45 million people, partnering with local and Indigenous communities

    Partnering with Indigenous Peoples and other communities to learn from and support their leadership in stewarding the environment, securing rights to resources, improving economic opportunities and shaping their future. Learn how we partner with Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

Climate Change: Explained

What is biodiversity? (3:05) What if all the variety on the planet disappeared? It could happen. Extinctions in various ecosystems are happening faster than ever. If we remove too many pieces the health of our environment, food supply, and economies could crumble. But if we can agree to prioritize biodiversity, we can save the planet and ourselves.
Agriculture Explained (2:53) How can regenerative food systems heal the planet and feed the world? We can produce food that doesn't just avoid harm, but actively restores nature and reverses previous damage. Regenerative food systems can ensure we’re able to feed many generations to come. Here's what this looks like.
Carbon Markets Explained (2:45) We need to stop new carbon and pull existing carbon out of the atmosphere to stop warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Trees do this! Carbon markets pay people to not cut down trees, which pull carbon from atmosphere for years to come. With less than 10 years to go, conservation science tells us it's time to use all the tools we have.
How Did Nature Save the World? (3:01) In this video, it's the future, and we look back on how conservation scientists, and all of us saved the world with nature. In the 2020s, we learned that nature could pull 11 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere. This was a full third of the emission reductions we needed! So how did nature do all this?

Cool Green Science

Pallas cat in the snow.

8 Cool Wild Cats You Probably Don’t Know

Move over lions and tigers. Meet these cryptic but cool wild cats.

By Matthew L. Miller

Three fish laying on a measuring matt.

How Scientists Fish: The Hand Line

On Palmyra Atoll, getting big fish on board quickly relies on an old fishing tool: the hand line.

By Matthew L. Miller

Yellow bird sitting in a tree.

8 Bird Migration Myths, From Past to Present

Bird migration has long fostered strange myths, some that persist to the present day.

By Ken Keffer

Muddy, winding river from above.

Giant Redfin: Conserving South Africa’s Native Fish

Meet the overlooked South African wildlife: native fish. Can invasive species removal offer hope?

By Matthew L. Miller

Seeley Lake, Montana
Seeley Lake, Montana Seeley Lake, Montana, part of The Nature Conservancy's Great Western Checkerboards Project, Montana. © Steven Gnam