These images represent a few of the places TNC has worked since its inception (clockwise from top left): the “blue hole” of Belize; searching for invasive weeds at TNC’s Zumwalt Prairie Preserve, Oregon; reef fish near Raja Ampat, Indonesia; lions in Tanzania © Jennifer Adler; Aaron Huey; Michael Nichols; David Doubilet
A wild legacy
For 75 years, The Nature Conservancy has protected iconic landscapes, saved endangered species, supported local communities and led innovative initiatives to protect nature around the world. Let’s celebrate some of TNC’s conservation successes.
Human Connections
Ntipiyon Nonguta and her son Bernard, 1, rest in the shade of a tree in Ewaso Village, Kenya, in 2015. Nonguta made and sold handicrafts through BeadWORKS. © Ami Vitale
A Community Partnership Protects a Kenyan Landscape
On the wide, open expanses of central Kenya, wildlife like lions and giraffes often encounter people and local com - munities in the routines of daily life. To help make space for everyone—and reduce human-wildlife conflict—TNC bought thousands of acres of former private ranchland in this region, transferring it in 2014 to the newly created Loi - saba Community Trust. The project offered a model of a new kind of conservation effort in Kenya: Instead of pushing people off their lands to create game parks for wildlife, the Trust is run with the involvement of communities who sup - port sustainable management of their lands. Today these 58,000 acres provide room for wildlife to roam and allow for ecotourism that supports schools and community health programs and create new local livelihoods through efforts like BeadWORKS, in which women like Nonguta generate additional income by making and selling handicrafts.
Ntipiyon Nonguta and her son Bernard, 1, rest in the shade of a tree in Ewaso Village, Kenya, in 2015. Nonguta made and sold handicrafts through BeadWORKS. © Ami Vitale
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Issue 3, 2026
Six Projects that Transformed the Work of The Nature Conservancy
From local land protection to global impact, explore the milestones and turning points that shaped The Nature Conservancy's first 75 years.
The Nature Conservancy: Celebrating 75 years of People, Partnership and Place
In 1951 a small group of passionate individuals joined forces to try to protect nature through direct action. Their vision continues to drive the work of The Nature Conservancy today.
Sound Solutions
From a crashing fishery in the 1990s to whales in New York harbor today—what has it taken to clean up tristate waters?