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What We Do

Our Goals for 2030

Waterfall cascading around mossy rocks.
The Magic Waterfall Sunrise waterfall in Iceland. © Inna Sherman/TNC Photo Contest 2021

We have years, not decades, to take on the interconnected crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. But by working together, we’re overcoming barriers to the solutions our planet needs.

Together, we find a way.

Lord Howe Island
Lord Howe Island Islands total only a small fraction of our planet’s land area yet host extraordinary concentrations of unique species. © Jordan Robins/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Our Window of Opportunity Is Open Now

Our planet faces the interconnected crises of rapid climate change and biodiversity loss. We have years, not decades, to address these existential threats.

The science is clear: We must act now to halt catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss. What we do between now and 2030 will determine whether we slow warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius—the level scientists agree will avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Our actions will also determine whether we conserve enough land and water to slow the rapid acceleration of species loss. If we do both, we will safeguard people from the disastrous effects of these crises.

So much can occur in a single lifetime. Three quarters of the carbon dioxide emissions driven by humans have occurred since 1950. We have seen a nearly 70% average decline of birds, amphibians, mammals, fish and reptiles since just 1970.

There is no time for delay.

The Nature Conservancy’s Goals for 2030

Our approach reflects decades of learning and refining, and the special role TNC can play side-by-side with partners, communities and decision-makers across the globe:

Aerial view of a sunset over a green forest.
Cumberland forest project: Sunrise aerial image taken near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky of land protected by The Nature Conservancy's Cumberland Forest Project. © Cameron Davidson
Mangrove trees on a wet beach with a low sun.
Mangroves Port Douglas, Queensland. © Alan Barker
Colorful finishing boats sitting on still blue water.
The fishing fleet Near Ancon, Peru. © Jason Houston
Light shining through trees over a forest trail.
Parque Nacional do Iguaçu Parque Nacional do Iguaçu © Scott Warren
San Juan river
San Juan River The San Juan River flows through Navajo Lake State Park in northwestern New Mexico. © Erika Nortemann/TNC
Close up of a hand holding a fruit with red seeds.
Seeds in fruit Seeds in fruit used for dyes and make-up in Las Marias, an indigenous Pech community. © Erika Nortemann/The Nature Conservancy
Aerial view of a sunset over a green forest.
Cumberland forest project: Sunrise aerial image taken near the border of Tennessee and Kentucky of land protected by The Nature Conservancy's Cumberland Forest Project. © Cameron Davidson

Carbon Emissions

Reduce or store 3 gigatons of CO2 emissions yearly

We will use the power of nature and the strength of policy and markets to reduce emissions, support renewable energy, and store carbon to reach our goal of avoiding or sequestering 3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Mangrove trees on a wet beach with a low sun.
Mangroves Port Douglas, Queensland. © Alan Barker

Helping People

Benefit 100 million people

We will help 100 million people at severe risk of climate-related emergencies by 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.

Colorful finishing boats sitting on still blue water.
The fishing fleet Near Ancon, Peru. © Jason Houston

Our Ocean

Conserve nearly 10 billion acres of ocean

We will conserve 4 billion hectares (9.9 billion acres) of ocean through new and better-managed protected areas, global-scale sustainable fishing, innovative financing, and positive policy changes to how the world governs the seas.

Light shining through trees over a forest trail.
Parque Nacional do Iguaçu Parque Nacional do Iguaçu © Scott Warren

Healthy Lands

Conserve 1.6 billion acres of land

We will partner with communities around the globe to conserve 650 million hectares (about 1.6 billion acres) of land. Together we will restore and improve management of working lands, support the leadership of Indigenous Peoples as land stewards, and conserve critical forests, grasslands and other habitats rich in carbon and biodiversity.

San Juan river
San Juan River The San Juan River flows through Navajo Lake State Park in northwestern New Mexico. © Erika Nortemann/TNC

Freshwater

Conserve more than 620,000 miles of rivers

We will conserve 1 million kilometers (621,000 miles) of river systems and 30 million hectares (74 million acres) of lakes and wetlands by engaging in collaborative partnerships, promoting innovative solutions, and supporting policies that improve the quality and amount of water available in freshwater ecosystems and to communities.

Close up of a hand holding a fruit with red seeds.
Seeds in fruit Seeds in fruit used for dyes and make-up in Las Marias, an indigenous Pech community. © Erika Nortemann/The Nature Conservancy

Local Leaders

Support 45 million local stewards

We support 45 million people whose well-being and livelihoods depend on healthy oceans, freshwater, and lands. We will partner with Indigenous People and other local communities to learn from and support their leadership in stewarding their environment, securing rights to resources, improving economic opportunities, and shaping their future.

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Our Challenges, Explained

Watch the videos explain some of the biggest challenges we’re facing:

Graphic of a variety of wildflowers with bees.

Video

Solving Climate Change

In this video, it’s the future, and we look back on how we saved the world. Spoiler alert: we did it with nature. How? In the 2020s, we learned that nature could pull 11 billion metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere. (3:01)

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A graphic using bright neon colors of a butterfly resting on a flower.

Video

Biodiversity Explained

What if all the variety on the planet disappeared? It could happen. Extinctions are happening faster than ever. We must prioritize biodiversity for health of our environment, food supply, and economies. (3:05)

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Our Solutions

To understand how we will achieve our goals, take a closer look at our pathways to solving climate change and biodiversity loss.

Our 2030 Goals in Action

Aerial views of the Ellsworth Creek Preserve.

Natural Climate Solutions

Natural climate solutions are conservation, restoration and improved land management actions that increase carbon storage across the globe.

Photo of wind turbines.

Maintain Climate Momentum

With record investments in clean energy and climate-smart food and forests beginning to flow, the U.S. is poised to reduce carbon pollution and usher in a prosperous, equitable, secure future.

Wind farm turbines situated on a ridge top in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia.

Renewable Energy Transition

We no longer need to choose between abundant energy and a cleaner environment. A renewable energy revolution is happening across the globe.

an illustration of three speech bubbles with imagery of people, animals, plants, and money with leaves on it.

3 Keys to Creating a More Sustainable World in 2022

We need to talk about participation, policy, and paying up to transform environmental ambition into effective action this year.

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A western grey kangaroo stands among vegetation near the CCB Wetland System.
Save Nature Around the Globe Join The Nature Conservancy as we protect landscapes and habitats around the world to ensure all life can thrive. © Andrew Peacock/TNC