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Our Goals for 2030

Nature’s Health is Our Health

How we treat the natural world is how we treat ourselves. It’s time we redefine our relationship with nature.

People play soccer on a field surrounded by large trees in New York City
Trees in NYC Spending time in nature helps with concentration and reduces stress and anxiety. © Diane Cook and Len Jenshel

Nature is a part of you.

It’s the air you breathe, the water you drink, the soil that grows your food. And our futures are entwined with nature’s. Our planet faces tough challenges but, together, we have the power to create a healthier future for nature and for ourselves.

Some ways we're helping nature so nature can take care of us:

Aerial of downtown Phoenix at dusk, with highways
Downtown Phoenix An aerial view of downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding urban area from an altitude of about 2000 feet over the desert floor during the hours of dusk. © Art Wager
Trees line both sides of a street in manhattan new york
Urban Forest in Park Slope, Brooklyn. © 2018 Diane Cook & Len Jenshel
A man wades through knee deep water in a desert river
Verde River Fly-fisherman in Verde River, AZ. © Andrew Kornylak
Fruits and vegetables in a market.
Sustainable foods Regenerative food systems can curb carbon emissions. © Julian Hanslmaier
Looking up through a tree's leaves.
Louisville, Kentucky. Trees remove air pollution, which can help our health. © Randy Olsen/The Nature Conservancy
Aerial of downtown Phoenix at dusk, with highways
Downtown Phoenix An aerial view of downtown Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding urban area from an altitude of about 2000 feet over the desert floor during the hours of dusk. © Art Wager

Our Climate

Dropping some shade on the cities we love

Urban heat already disproportionately affects communities of color. In Phoenix, AZ, where 110-degree days could double by 2060, the problem could get worse. Through a first-of-its-kind program, we're helping Phoenix residents reclaim their neighborhoods' cool. Through the Urban Heat Leadership Academy, residents learn how to best advocate for cooler, walkable corridors and more shade cover. With the right trees in the right places, we can all make Phoenix cooler, greener and healthier.

Trees line both sides of a street in manhattan new york
Urban Forest in Park Slope, Brooklyn. © 2018 Diane Cook & Len Jenshel

Our Well-Being

A fair, forested and flourishing future for NYC

The New York City urban forest includes more than 7 million trees and the people who care for them. The trees enhance quality of life and improve health for New Yorkers, but these benefits don't reach everyone equally. We're working to ensure that this urban forest thrives into the future and provides its benefits in a just and equitable way. Our Future Forest NYC initiative is activating a diverse group of leaders and partners to collaborate to better protect, maintain and grow the urban forest so that its benefits are accessible for everyone.

A man wades through knee deep water in a desert river
Verde River Fly-fisherman in Verde River, AZ. © Andrew Kornylak

Our Water

A smart swap so a river won't stop

Desert rivers are special. The Verde River, one of the last in Arizona to run year-round, has run dry at times in recent years. To keep the Verde flowing, we helped switch farmers from corn to barley. Why barley? It uses half as much water as corn. And while corn needs water in summer as the river is drying up, barley needs it in spring when the water is plentiful. By working with nature, the river keeps flowing, and some of that barley even becomes local beer.

Fruits and vegetables in a market.
Sustainable foods Regenerative food systems can curb carbon emissions. © Julian Hanslmaier

Our food

How we grow food can heal the planet

We've got to eat, right? Of course! But our food production has altered our planet more than any other human activity; there's got to be a better way. Fortunately, there are many. We can grow food in ways that are not only sustainable, but actually regenerate the land and planet. By working with nature and making space for the wisdom of Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, we can make farms and fisheries more productive while protecting clean drinking water, protecting wildlife habitat, and fighting climate change.

Looking up through a tree's leaves.
Louisville, Kentucky. Trees remove air pollution, which can help our health. © Randy Olsen/The Nature Conservancy

Our Air

More trees = easier to breathe

We breathe 22,000 times every day, so what we breathe in matters. Trees benefit our air by filtering pollution and reducing temperatures. These leafy friends of ours can make a big impact in cities. Right now, The Nature Conservancy and partners are testing how effective urban trees are at cleaning the air and improving public health in Louisville, KY. We've already planted thousands of trees in neighborhoods that need them!

Climate well-being Water Food Air

Nature Helps Us Breathe

Nature helps us breathe (0:52) From schoolyards to backyards, our health depends on nature's health.

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