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APPROACH


The Nature Conservancy (TNC) takes a scientific approach to conservation, selecting the areas it seeks to preserve based on analysis of what is needed to ensure the preservation of the local plants, animals, and ecosystems. The Nature Conservancy is one of the world's largest Environmental Organization as measured by number of members. It is a nonprofit organization supported almost entirely by private donations. The Nature Conservancy works with businesses, individuals, communities, partner organizations, and government agencies to achieve its goals. The Nature Conservancy is known for working effectively with traditional land owners such as farmers and ranchers, with whom it partners when such a partnership provides an opportunity to advance mutual goals. The Nature Conservancy is in the forefront of private conservation groups in implementing Prescribed Fire to restore and maintain healthy ecosystems. The Nature Conservancy's expanding international conservation efforts include work in North America , Central America , and South America , the Pacific Ocean , the Caribbean , and Asia .

The Nature Conservancy has pioneered new land preservation techniques such as the Conservation Easement and debt for nature swaps. A conservation easement is a way for landowners to ensure that their land remains in its natural state while capitalizing on some of the land's potential development value. Debt for nature swaps are tools used to encourage natural area preservation in third world countries while assisting the country economically as well: in exchange for setting aside land, some of the country's foreign debt is forgiven.


LOCATIONS


The Nature Conservancy owns many nature preserves including lakes such as the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire as well as Sam's Point Preserve in the state of New York and Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean . It was instrumental in the creation in 2004 of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado .

The Nature Conservancy's worldwide office is located in Arlington, Virginia .


Nature Conservancy Selected Sites



CRITICISMS


In recent years, The Nature Conservacy has faced a number of criticisms. They fall into the following main categories
  • Too close to business. Some environmental groups and activists view "big business" and "environmentalism" as natural antagonists, and find The Nature Conservacy's collaboration with corporations inappropriate. The Conservancy argues that since corporations have such a significant impact on the environment, they must be engaged in finding ways to do business that do not harm the environment.

  • Inefficient. Critics charge The Nature Conservancy spends too much on administration and marketing (about 20%). In addition, they sometimes debate whether the investments in land made by The Nature Conservancy are truly the most financially effective use of scarce environmental dollars. The Conservancy notes that it follows the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance Standards of Charitable Accountability and receives favorable ratings from all the respected charitable watchdog organizations, such as Charity Navigator.

  • Inappropriate pressure. Some individuals have reported instances where they feel The Nature Conservancy has inappropriately pressured them to "give up land" or "give up rights on their land".

  • Questionable resale. There have been instances of The Nature Conservancy obtaining land and reselling it at a profit, sometimes to supporters, who have then made use of it in ways not perceived by all as being sufficiently environmentally friendly. The rationale for the resale has been that the profit allows The Nature Conservacy to increase its preservation of more important locations.



OTHER INFORMATION


  • The Nature Conservancy has a system for ranking the Conservation Status of species, and this system is one of two such systems that are in widespread use.





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