the Nature Conservancy

File:A MEETING AT THE ALABAMA NATURE CONSERVANCY TO ORGANIZE A GLASS RECYCLING EFFORT IN BIRMINGHAM - NARA - 545547.jpg, 1972]]

The Nature Conservancy developed out of a scholarly organization initially known as the Ecological Society of America (ESA).{{Cite book|last=Adams|first=Jonathan S.|title=The Future of the Wild|publisher=Beacon Press|year=2006|isbn=978-0-8070-8537-0|pages=51–54}} The ESA was founded in 1915, and later formed a Committee on Preservation of Natural Areas for Ecological Study, headed by Victor Shelford."[http://www.nature.org/about-us/vision-mission/history/ Our History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220202505/http://www.nature.org/about-us/vision-mission/history/ |date=December 20, 2016 }}". The Nature Conservancy. nature.org. Retrieved December 18, 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/about-us/ |title=About Us |website=The Nature Conservancy |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910172533/http://www.nature.org/about-us/ |archive-date=September 10, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} The primary aim of Shelford was to find areas of land that would be beneficial for long-term research. By the 1930s, Shelford and his colleagues such as Aldo Leopold increasingly sought to advocate for conservation. The divide in viewpoints regarding scholarship or advocacy led the Society to dissolve the committee and in 1946, Shelford and his colleagues formed the Ecologists' Union. The latter group eventually took the name "The Nature Conservancy", in emulation of the British agency of that name, which pursued a mission of conserving open space and wildlife preserves. The Nature Conservancy was incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization on October 22, 1951.

As the organization grew, the organization focused largely on buying as much land as possible in the name of conservation with little scientific research conducted on land before being purchased. Patrick Noonan served as president from 1973 to 1980 and spearheaded major land acquisitions, fundraising and decentralized growth of state programs. In 1970 the organization hired its first staff scientist, Robert E. Jenkins Jr., who helped the organization refocus its mission to conserving natural diversity.{{cite book |last1=Birchard |first1=Bill |title=Nature's Keepers |date=2005 |publisher=Jossey-Bass |location=San Francisco, CA |isbn=0-7879-7158-8}} With Noonan's support, in 1974 Jenkins began to partner with state governments to develop state-by-state inventories which assembled and stored data on the "elements" of nature (e.g. rare species and natural communities) and on "element occurrences" (the specific locations where they occur), which later morphed into the Natural Heritage Network, a network of state natural heritage programs.

Image:Rossville Boardwalk Wolf River.jpg at Rossville, Tennessee]]

{{external media

| float = right

| width = 225px

| video1 = [https://video.idahoptv.org/video/outdoor-idaho-natures-land-brokers Nature's Land Brokers] – documentary film highlighting project sites in Idaho, how the organization manages those sites, and how the organization works to find solutions for all stakeholders (Idaho Public Television, full episode)}}

File:Clymer Meadow Preserve, County Road 1140, Hunt County, Texas, USA (24 June 2021).jpg (eco-region) remaining.]]

The Nature Conservancy's efforts include conservation in North America, Central America, and South America, Africa, the Pacific Rim, the Caribbean, and Asia.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/ |title=Where We Work | The Nature Conservancy |website=Nature.org |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817194244/http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/ |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}

The Nature Conservancy and its conservation partner, Pronatura Peninsula Yucatán, to halt deforestation on private lands in and around the 1.8 million acre (7,300 km²) Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, along the Guatemala–Mexico border. They brokered the protection of 370,000 acres (1,500 km²) of tropical forest in Calakmul.{{cite web|last1=Adams|first1=Lisa|title=Plan would protect swath of Yucatán forest|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041113/news_1n13mexico.html|publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune|date=November 13, 2004|access-date=June 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626132413/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041113/news_1n13mexico.html|archive-date=June 26, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} In another program, TNC is working to protect wildlife habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

In 2007, the Nature Conservancy made a {{convert|161000|acre|km2|adj=on}} purchase of New York forestland from Finch Paper Holdings LLC for $110 million, its largest purchase ever in that state.{{cite web |url=https://www.conservationgateway.org/TNC/GlobalSolutions/Pages/default.aspx |title=Global Solutions |website=Conservationgateway.org |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822111923/https://www.conservationgateway.org/TNC/GlobalSolutions/Pages/default.aspx |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.landreport.com/2007/08/nature-conservancy-purchases-161000-acre-tract-in-new-york/ |title=The Nature Conservancy Purchases 161,000 acres in New York |date=August 2007 |publisher=The Land Report |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817010535/http://www.landreport.com/2007/08/nature-conservancy-purchases-161000-acre-tract-in-new-york/ |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

In June 2008, The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land announced they reached an agreement to purchase approximately {{convert|320000|acre|km2}} of western Montana forestland from Plum Creek Timber Company for $510 million. The purchase, known as the Montana Legacy Project, is part of an effort to keep these forests in productive timber management and protect the area's clean water and abundant fish and wildlife habitat, while promoting continued public access to these lands for fishing, hiking, hunting and other recreational pursuits.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3580.html |title=Nature Conservancy News Room – The Forestl |publisher=Nature.org |access-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501115622/http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3580.html |archive-date=May 1, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=https://www.tpl.org/magazine/conservationists-go-big-montana-%E2%80%93landpeople |title=Conservationists Go Big in Montana –Land&People | The Trust for Public Land |website=Tpl.org |date=June 12, 2006 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822215053/https://www.tpl.org/magazine/conservationists-go-big-montana-%E2%80%93landpeople |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.northwestconnections.org/the-montana-legacy-project/ |title=The Montana Legacy Project — Northwest Connections |website=Northwestconnections.org |date=June 30, 2008 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820104702/http://www.northwestconnections.org/the-montana-legacy-project/ |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} As a follow-on, in 2015 The Nature Conservancy made a $134 million transaction to purchase {{convert|165073|acre|km2}} – of forests, rivers and wildlife habitat in the Cascade Mountain Range of Washington and in the Blackfoot River Valley in Montana.

The Conservancy also acquired this land from Plum Creek, including {{convert|47921|acre|km2}} in the Yakima River Headwaters in Washington and {{convert|117152|acre|km2}} in the Lower Blackfoot River Watershed in Montana.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/forests-for-americas-future.xml |title=Forests for America's Future | The Nature Conservancy |website=Nature.org |date=January 15, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818044748/http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/forests-for-americas-future.xml |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news|author=Gunther|first=Marc|title=Behind one of the Nature Conservancy's largest ever forest purchases | Guardian Sustainable Business|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/30/behind-one-of-the-nature-conservancys-largest-ever-forest-purchases|url-status=live|access-date=2020-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826011107/https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/jan/30/behind-one-of-the-nature-conservancys-largest-ever-forest-purchases|archive-date=August 26, 2016|df=mdy-all}}

Nature United is the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy. Nature United was founded as a Canadian charity in 2014, building on decades of conservation in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, the organization has field staff located across the country. Nature United supports Indigenous leadership, sustainable economic development, and large-scale conservation, primarily in the Great Bear Rainforest, Clayoquot Sound, the Northwest Territories, and northern Manitoba.{{Cite web|title=Who We Are|url=https://www.natureunited.ca/about-us/who-we-are/|access-date=2021-05-24|website=Nature United|language=en-CA|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517123924/https://www.natureunited.ca/about-us/who-we-are/|url-status=live}}

In December 2015, The Nature Conservancy announced the finalization of the first ever debt swap in Seychelles aimed at ocean conservation. The new protected area increases the country's marine protected waters from less than 1 percent to more than 30 percent including support for the creation of the second largest Marine Protected Area in the Western Indian Ocean.{{cite web |url=https://reefbuilders.com/2016/03/18/seychelles-to-protect-more-than-400000-square-kilometers-of-ocean/ |title=Seychelles to protect more than 400,000 square kilometers of Ocean – Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog |publisher=Reef Builders |date=March 18, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826155137/https://reefbuilders.com/2016/03/18/seychelles-to-protect-more-than-400000-square-kilometers-of-ocean/ |archive-date=August 26, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The debt swap deal was made possible through a partnership with the Seychelles Ministry of Finance, support of debt-holding nations including France, and grants from private organizations led by the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation.{{cite web |url=http://leonardodicaprio.org/ldf-supports-first-ever-debt-for-nature-swap-in-seychelles/ |title=LDF Supports First Ever Debt-for-Nature Swap in Seychelles – Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation : Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation |website=Leonardodicaprio.org |date=March 15, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917013402/http://leonardodicaprio.org/ldf-supports-first-ever-debt-for-nature-swap-in-seychelles/ |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Financing for this effort was organized by The Nature Conservancy's impact investing unit called NatureVest.{{cite web |url=http://www.naturevesttnc.org/business-lines/debt-restructuring/seychelles-debt-restructuring/ |title=Seychelles Debt Restructuring | NatureVest |website=Naturevesttnc.org |date=June 20, 2014 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815045715/http://www.naturevesttnc.org/business-lines/debt-restructuring/seychelles-debt-restructuring/ |archive-date=August 15, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/nature-conservancy-debt-swap-to-finance-conservation-in-seychelles |title=Nature Conservancy Debt Swap to Finance Conservation in Seychelles | News | PND |website=Philanthropynewsdigest.org |date=February 26, 2015 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921220416/http://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/nature-conservancy-debt-swap-to-finance-conservation-in-seychelles |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} NatureVest was created in 2014 with founding sponsorship from JPMorgan Chase with the stated goal of sourcing and putting to work at least $1 billion of impact investment capital for measurable conservation outcomes over three years.{{cite web |url=http://www.naturevesttnc.org/about-us/ |title=About Us | NatureVest |website=Naturevesttnc.org |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924112052/http://www.naturevesttnc.org/about-us/ |archive-date=September 24, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |url=https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/04/29/nature-conservancy-and-jpmorgan-chase |title=Why TNC and JPMorgan Chase are investing $1 billion in nature |website=GreenBiz.com |date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820044515/https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/04/29/nature-conservancy-and-jpmorgan-chase |archive-date=August 20, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} For their work on the Seychelles debt restructuring, The Nature Conservancy and JPMorgan Chase were given the FT/ITC Transformational Business Award for Achievement in Transformational Finance. The award is given by the Financial Times and the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) for ground-breaking, commercially viable solutions to development challenges.{{cite web |url=https://live.ft.com/Events/2016/FT-IFC-Transformational-Business-Awards |title=FT/IFC Transformational Business Awards organised by FT Live |website=Live.ft.com |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817085113/https://live.ft.com/Events/2016/FT-IFC-Transformational-Business-Awards |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

The Nature Conservancy's "Plant a Billion Trees" campaign is an effort to plant one billion trees across the globe in forests with the greatest need and has been operating since 2008 to plant trees in Brazil, China, Colombia, Guatemala, Kenya, Tanzania, Mexico, and the United States.{{cite web |author=Staff Writer |title=Plant a Billion Trees |url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/plant-a-billion/ |publisher=The Nature Conservancy |access-date=13 May 2023}}{{cite web|title=Plant A Billion Trees – restore, plant, protect – with The Nature Conservancy|url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/plant-a-billion/?tab_q=tab_container_copy-tab_element_270|publisher=Plantabillion.org|access-date=February 2, 2013|archive-date=November 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111195418/https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/plant-a-billion/?tab_q=tab_container_copy-tab_element_270|url-status=live}} As part of the overall campaign, The Nature Conservancy pledged to plant 25 million trees as part of the launch of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)'s Billion Tree Campaign.{{cite web|title=Conservation & Green News | The Nature Conservancy|url=http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3443.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205044655/http://www.nature.org/pressroom/press/press3443.html|archive-date=December 5, 2010|access-date=February 2, 2013|publisher=Nature.org|df=mdy-all}} This campaign encourages individuals and organizations to plant their own trees around the world and record this action on the website as a tally.{{Cite web|title=Plant a Billion|url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/plant-a-billion/|website=Plant a Billion Trees|language=en-US|access-date=2020-06-01|archive-date=May 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514045223/https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/plant-a-billion/|url-status=live}} Its "Plant a Billion Trees" campaign in Brazil aims to restore Brazil's Atlantic Forest by planting native trees on {{Convert|2.5|e6acre}} that have been deforested.{{cite book |last1=Watson |first1=Tom |title=CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World |date=2009 |pages=48–49 |publisher=Wiley |location=Hoboken, N.J. |isbn=978-0470460108}}

The Plant a Billion Trees campaign has also been identified as a tool to help slow climate change with forest restoration being an effective way to help regulate emissions in the atmosphere and stabilize global climate.{{cite web |last1=Olatz Cases |first1=Maria |title=Biodiversity conservation and climate change protection go hand in hand |url=https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/23672.html |publisher=German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) |access-date=14 May 2019 |archive-date=May 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514174542/https://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/23672.html |url-status=live }}

File:Brian McPeek, Chief Operating Officer, The Nature Conservancy, signs over the deed (6726960293).jpg Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.]]

File:Christie Boser (The Nature Conservancy) (26825620610).jpg, a small fox endemic to California's Channel Islands]]

The Nature Conservancy has over one million members across the world {{as of|lc=yes|2021}}.{{cite web | title=Donate to our mission | website=The Nature Conservancy | date=1 January 2021 | url=https://www.nature.org/en-us/membership-and-giving/donate-to-our-mission/ | access-date=28 February 2021 | others=Bottom right-hand corner, next to "Sign up for e-news": "Join the million supporters who stand with us..." | archive-date=March 7, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307151647/https://www.nature.org/en-us/membership-and-giving/donate-to-our-mission/ | url-status=live }}{{cite web | title=Who we are | website=The Nature Conservancy Australia | url=https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/about-us/who-we-are/ | access-date=28 February 2021 | archive-date=March 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302003416/https://www.natureaustralia.org.au/about-us/who-we-are/ | url-status=live }} {{As of|2014}}, it was the largest environmental non-profit organization by assets and revenue in the Americas.{{cite web|title=The 200 Largest U.S. Charities List: Environment/Animal|url=https://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/14/200-largest-us-charities-11_rank-environment-animal.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140215182515/http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/14/200-largest-us-charities-11_rank-environment-animal.html|archive-date=February 15, 2014|access-date=February 21, 2014|work=Forbes|df=mdy-all}}

The Nature Conservancy has ties to many large companies, including those in the oil, gas, mining, chemical and agricultural industries.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/about-us/working-with-companies/companies-we-work-with/ |title=Working with Companies – Companies We Work With | The Nature Conservancy |website=Nature.org |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818000350/http://www.nature.org/about-us/working-with-companies/companies-we-work-with/ |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }} {{As of|2016}}, its board of directors included the retired chairman of Duke Energy, and executives from Merck, HP, Google and several financial industry groups.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/about-us/governance/board-of-directors/board-of-directors-member-profiles.xml#Gleberman |title=Board of Directors Member Profiles | The Nature Conservancy |website=Nature.org |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916075251/http://www.nature.org/about-us/governance/board-of-directors/board-of-directors-member-profiles.xml#Gleberman |archive-date=September 16, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} It also has a Business Council which it describes as a consultative forum that includes Bank of America, BP America, Chevron, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, Duke Energy, General Mills, Royal Dutch Shell, and Starbucks.{{cite web |url=http://www.nature.org/about-us/working-with-companies/businesscouncil/ilc-main-content.xml |title=Business Council | The Nature Conservancy |website=Nature.org |date=July 1, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923230714/http://www.nature.org/about-us/working-with-companies/businesscouncil/ilc-main-content.xml |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The organization faced criticism in 2010 from supporters for its refusal to cut ties with BP after the Gulf oil spill.{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052302164.html |title=Nature Conservancy faces potential backlash from ties with BP |website=Washingtonpost.com |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604133452/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/23/AR2010052302164.html |archive-date=June 4, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/16274145 |title=Reaching for a longer spoon |publisher=The Economist |date=June 3, 2010 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322114847/http://www.economist.com/node/16274145 |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}

Writer and activist Naomi Klein has strongly criticized The Nature Conservancy for earning money from an oil well on land it controls in Texas and for its continued engagement with fossil fuel companies.{{cite news|first=Justin|last=Gillis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/science/group-earns-oil-income-despite-pledge-on-drilling.html|title=Group Earns Oil Income Despite Pledge on Drilling|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 4, 2014 |access-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424170047/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/science/group-earns-oil-income-despite-pledge-on-drilling.html|archive-date=April 24, 2016|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{cite magazine |last=Klein |first=Naomi |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/time-big-green-go-fossil-free/ |title=Time for Big Green to Go Fossil Free |publisher=The Nation |date=May 1, 2013 |access-date=September 15, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815182741/https://www.thenation.com/article/time-big-green-go-fossil-free/ |archive-date=August 15, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} The Nature Conservancy responded by arguing that it had no choice, under the terms of a lease it signed years prior with an oil and gas company and later came to regret.

In 2020, Bloomberg published an article claiming that some of the companies (such as JPMorgan Chase, Disney, and BlackRock) that purchase carbon credits from The Nature Conservancy were purchasing carbon credits for forests that did not need protection.{{cite magazine|last1=Elgin|first1=Ben|date=December 9, 2020|title=Nature Conservancy Hooked Corporate America on an Empty Climate Solution|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-nature-conservancy-carbon-offsets-trees/|language=en|issue=3|access-date=9 December 2020|magazine=Bloomberg Green}}

In 2021, The Nature Conservancy partnered with Amazon to compensate local farmers for restoring and protecting rainforests in Para, Brazil.{{Cite web |last=Freedman |first=Andrew |date=2021-09-07 |title=Amazon, Nature Conservancy launch initiative to help preserve the Amazonian rainforest |url=https://www.axios.com/2021/09/07/amazon-climate-change-brazil-rainforests |access-date=2022-08-15 |website=Axios |language=en}}

In 2022, a group of 158 conservation, environmental, and social justice non-profit organizations signed an open letter to the Conservancy's CEO, Jennifer Morris, charging that The Nature Conservancy was overly supportive of logging interests and the use of wood products as a natural climate solution. TNC is a member of the Forest Climate Working Group alongside wood product companies like Weyerhaeuser and Enviva, and other conservation organizations like the Trust for Public Land and American Forests.{{Cite web |title=Forest-Climate Working Group Policy Platform for 117th Congress {{!}} Forest Climate Working Group |url=https://forestclimateworkinggroup.org/resource/forest-climate-working-group-policy-platform-for-117th-congress/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Ketcham |first=Christopher |date=2022-06-29 |title=Logging is destroying southern forests — and dividing US environmentalists |url=https://grist.org/energy/logging-biomass-nature-conservancy/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=Grist |language=en-us |archive-date=August 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805124027/https://grist.org/energy/logging-biomass-nature-conservancy/ |url-status=live }}

The Charity Navigator gave The Nature Conservancy a 4-star rating, with a score of 96%, for the 2022 fiscal year.{{cite web |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/530242652 |title=Rating for The Nature Conservancy |publisher=Charity Navigator |access-date=March 2, 2024 |df=mdy-all }}

Like many large environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the World Wildlife Fund, the Conservancy includes allowances for hunting and fishing within its management policies. The organization does not totally ban hunting or fishing but defers to state hunting and fishing regulations.{{cite web

| url = https://blog.nature.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Hunt1.pdf

| title = The Nature Conservancy's Position on Hunting and Fishing

| date = April 2011

| publisher = The Nature Conservancy

| access-date = October 17, 2019

| archive-date = September 6, 2019

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190906155224/https://blog.nature.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Hunt1.pdf

| url-status = live

}}

The organization publishes The Nature Conservancy magazine ({{ISSN|1540-2428}}; six issues per year).

The Nature Conservancy honored (8075407959).jpg|Award from the Department of Interior

Table Rocks Environmental Education (22874298714).jpg|The Table Rocks Environmental Education Program

Lotus Vermeer, The Nature Conservancy (27258087666).jpg|Lotus Vermeer working with an animal in the field

Greg Hunt- Regional Ocean Challenges- Pathways to Climate Finance for Small Island Developing States.jpg|Regional Ocean Challenges event in Australia

Fox health check conducted by National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy biologists on Santa Cruz Island (28635067480).jpg|Fox health check at Santa Cruz Island

140530-A-OI229-035 (14195642530).jpg|Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe presented with a $500,000 environmental grant

In 2003 The Washington Post ran an investigative series about the Nature Conservancy with allegations of improper dealing and other improprieties that the Nature Conservancy contested.{{Cite news |last1=Ottaway |first1=David B. |last2=Stephens |first2=Joe |date=2003-05-04 |title=Nonprofit Land Bank Amasses Billions |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/04/nonprofit-land-bank-amasses-billions/10fdb070-d956-40e7-a508-b03483c21899/ |access-date=2022-08-15 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005162147/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/04/nonprofit-land-bank-amasses-billions/10fdb070-d956-40e7-a508-b03483c21899/ |url-status=live }} In part, the Post alleged the Conservancy had, time and again, bought ecologically significant tracts of land, attached some development restrictions and then resold the properties to trustees and supporters at greatly reduced prices. The sales were part of a program that limits intrusive development but generally allows buyers to build homes on the land. The buyers then gave the Conservancy cash that was roughly equivalent to the amount of the discounts. That allowed the new owners to take significant tax deductions for charitable gifts.{{Cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Joe |last2=Ottaway |first2=David B. |date=2003-05-06 |title=Nonprofit Sells Scenic Acreage to Allies at a Loss |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/06/nonprofit-sells-scenic-acreage-to-allies-at-a-loss/905ef074-56ad-4034-8690-d2d8910d8e4b/ |access-date=2022-03-12 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205225157/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/06/nonprofit-sells-scenic-acreage-to-allies-at-a-loss/905ef074-56ad-4034-8690-d2d8910d8e4b/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Stephens |first=Joe |date=2003-05-10 |title=Charity's Land Deals To Be Scrutinized |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/10/charitys-land-deals-to-be-scrutinized/285a8e55-eea0-41a7-bcbc-a9885706c23e/ |access-date=2022-03-12 |issn=0190-8286}}{{Cite news|last1=Stephens|first1=Joe|last2=Ottaway|first2=David B.|date=2005-06-08|title=Senators Question Conservancy's Practices|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/07/AR2005060701640.html|access-date=2020-12-04|archive-date=March 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322133626/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/07/AR2005060701640.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|last1=Stephens|first1=Joe|last2=Ottaway|first2=David B.|date=2003-05-16|title=Charity Hiring Lawyers to Try to Prevent Hill Probe|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062601287.html|access-date=2020-11-30|archive-date=August 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180813125524/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062601287.html|url-status=live}}The Chronicle of Philanthropy. October 18, 2007.{{cite news |author= Staff |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/14/national/14CND-NATU.html?ex=1202792400&en=2768c996817e11fc&ei=5070 |title= In Wake of Criticism, Nature Conservancy Changes Policies |work= The New York Times |date= June 14, 2003 |access-date= August 11, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150101071007/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/14/national/14CND-NATU.html?ex=1202792400&en=2768c996817e11fc&ei=5070 |archive-date= January 1, 2015 |url-status= live |df= mdy-all }}

The Nature Conservancy suspended a range of practices shortly after the articles ran including these sales, licensing its logo to corporations whose executives sat on the Conservancy's governing board and council, all new logging and other "resource extraction activities" such as oil and gas drilling on its nature preserves, and all new loans to employees.{{Cite news |last1=Stephens |first1=Joe |last2=Ottaway |first2=David |date=2003-05-13 |title=Nature Conservancy Suspends Land Sales |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2003/05/13/nature-conservancy-suspends-land-sales/ccd75a02-7f0b-4f31-8209-85640b4b42eb/ |access-date=2022-03-12 |issn=0190-8286}} The Conservancy launched an independent review that issued its final report in 2004, calling for sweeping reforms aimed at making the Conservancy a model of ethical standards for nonprofit organizations.{{Cite news |last=Stephens |first=Joe |date=2004-03-31 |title=Overhaul of Nature Conservancy Urged |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/03/31/overhaul-of-nature-conservancy-urged/b3aad95f-6acf-4e27-ba7c-6b15ff3dc0ef/ |access-date=2022-05-18 |issn=0190-8286}}

After service as The Nature Conservancy's president for one year, Brian McPeek resigned on May 31, 2019, after a report on an internal investigation of sexual harassment was revealed by Politico and two other senior executives were ultimately dismissed based on its findings.{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2MlPwwc|title=Nature Conservancy president resigns in wake of sexual harassment probe|first=Zack|last=Colman|website=POLITICO|date=May 31, 2019 |access-date=March 27, 2020|archive-date=October 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011163305/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/31/nature-conservancy-president-resigns-sexual-harassment-1495778|url-status=live}} On June 7, 2019, Mark Tercek, CEO since 2008, announced his resignation following the resignation of McPeek.{{Cite web|last=Colman|first=Zack|title=Nature Conservancy CEO Tercek exits as shake-up widens|url=https://politi.co/2I2XI0j|access-date=2020-12-01|website=POLITICO|date=June 7, 2019 |language=en|archive-date=October 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011163306/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/07/nature-conservancy-ceo-tercek-exits-as-shake-up-widens-1517846|url-status=live}} On June 10, Luis Solorzano, executive director of The Nature Conservancy's Florida-based Caribbean chapter, became the fifth senior official to depart the organization.{{Cite web|url=https://politi.co/2IBvt7R|title=Nature Conservancy's Caribbean program chief to exit after probe|first=Zack|last=Colman|website=POLITICO|date=June 10, 2019 |access-date=March 27, 2020|archive-date=October 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011163306/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/10/nature-conservancy-caribbean-program-chief-exit-1358817|url-status=live}} On June 11, The Nature Conservancy's board chairman Thomas J. Tierney announced that board member and former US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell would serve as interim CEO, effective September 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/11/nature-conservancy-sally-jewell-interim-ceo-1521783|title=Nature Conservancy taps Obama Interior secretary as interim CEO|last=Colman|first=Zack|date=2019-06-11|website=POLITICO|language=en|access-date=2019-06-12|archive-date=June 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612122436/https://www.politico.com/story/2019/06/11/nature-conservancy-sally-jewell-interim-ceo-1521783|url-status=live}}

{{Portal|Earth sciences|Ecology|Environment}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance
• Extractivism (Trans-National Corporation)
• List of environmental issues
• List of environmental organizations
• Natural capital
• Natural environment
• Natural landscape
• Natural resource
• Northwest Alliance
• Private protected area
• Sustainability

{{div col end}}

{{reflist}}

• Tercek, Mark R.; Adams, Jonathan (2013) "Nature's Fortune: How Business and Society Thrive by Investing in Nature". New York: Basic Books {{ISBN|978-0-465-03181-8}}.
• Grove, Noel; with photographs by Stephen J. Krasemann (1992). Preserving Eden: The Nature Conservancy. New York City: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. {{ISBN|0-8109-3663-1}}.
• Morine, David E. (1990). Good Dirt: Confessions of a Conservationist. Chester, Connecticut: Globe Pequot Press. {{ISBN|0-87106-444-8}}.
• Birchard, Bill (2005). Nature's Keepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass (a Wiley imprint). {{ISBN|0-7879-7158-8}}.
• Stephens, Joe; Ottaway, David B. May 3, 2003). [https://web.archive.org/web/20081006053206/http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10232-2003May3 "Conservancy Scientists Question Their Role"]. The Washington Post.
• Stephens, Joe; Ottaway, David B. (May 4, 2003). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/26/AR2007062600880.html "$420,000 a Year and No-Strings Fund: Conservancy Underreported President's Pay and Perks of Office"]. The Washington Post.

{{commons category|The Nature Conservancy}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://geospatial.tnc.org/ The Nature Conservancy's Geospatial Conservation Atlas] - Data, dashboards, and analytics of the organization.
• [https://www.natureunited.ca/ Nature United] - Canadian affiliate official site.

{{Conservation organisations}}{{conservation of species|state=expanded}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nature Conservancy, The}}

Category:Nature conservation organizations based in the United States

Category:Environmental organizations based in Virginia

Category:Land trusts in Virginia

Category:Forest conservation organizations

Category:Bill Frist

Category:Water organizations in the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Arlington, Virginia

Category:Organizations established in 1951

Category:Scientific organizations established in 1951

Category:1951 establishments in the United States

Category:1951 in the environment

01

Category:Shorty Award winners