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Protect Land and Water

of the Holmes River, British Columbia, Canada. — Aerial view of the Holmes River, British Columbia, Canada. © Shane Kalyn

Globally, only 5% of the natural lands at high risk of development are protected. Demands on land and water continue to increase, so we must do more, faster.

We won’t survive without clean water and land. We also need healthy, diverse oceans for fishing, working & playing. We have helped protect more than 103 million acres (41.6 million hectares) of land, conserve thousands of river miles & develop more than 100 marine projects. Working with governments, corporations, local partners & you, we can protect more nature between today & 2025 than we have in our history.

How We Protect Land & Water

Kermode Bear in the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia. — We Protect Forests We protect treasured landscapes, such as the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, so wildlife like the region’s iconic spirit bear can thrive. © James Picardi

in The Nature Conservancy's Great Western Checkerboards Project, Montana. — We Think Big We invest in large-scale land conservation, such as protecting half a million acres in Montana & restoring habitat along the Gulf of Mexico. © Steven Gnam/TNC

Tortugas National Park Coral Restoration — We Protect Oceans We restore coral reefs and other ocean habitats from Mexico to Australia to help fish populations recover & protect coastal communities from storms. © Carlton Ward Jr.

in the surf and sand define the coastlines of Seychelles's inner islands. — We Secure Funding We helped create a way for the island nation of Seychelles to reduce its debt by protecting one-third of its territorial waters—an area larger than Germany—by 2020. © Jason Houston

Mohamed is able to fish in the high seas because of a cooler he received for being a part of the OceanWORKS program. This allows him to catch larger fish. — We Partner With Locals We partner with indigenous peoples and local communities to protect nature in ways that reinforce cultural connections to land and water. © Mwangi Kirubi

Volunteer Al McKegg collects eelgrass shoots in South Bay, Eastern Shore, Virginia. — We Build Economies We promote ecotourism and sustainable fishing to preserve the $1.5 trillion that the ocean adds to the global economy each year. © Alex Novak

A lone mangrove tree silhouetted against the pastel colors of an evening sky interru the horizon on the inner reef near the village of Utwe on Kosrae island, Micronesia. — Mangrove at sunset A lone mangrove tree silhouetted against the pastel colors of an evening sky interru the horizon on the inner reef near the village of Utwe on Kosrae island, Micronesia. © Nick Hall

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Read about this big win

Photo Contest 2018
Caption: Campers in the top crater of Mt. Herdubreid, Iceland.
Photo Credit: © Sigtryggur Johannsson/TNC Photo Contest 2018
Photographer’s Statement: "Setting up camp." Camping in top crater of Mt. Herdubreid in Iceland. Taken in summer 2017 on a climb up this unique mountain. The presence of the tent is meant to illustrate the accessibility of remote locations with modern, light-weight hiking equipment. — Setting up camp Photo Contest 2018 Caption: Campers in the top crater of Mt. Herdubreid, Iceland. Photo Credit: © Sigtryggur Johannsson/TNC Photo Contest 2018 Photographer’s Statement: "Setting up camp." Camping in top crater of Mt. Herdubreid in Iceland. Taken in summer 2017 on a climb up this unique mountain. The presence of the tent is meant to illustrate the accessibility of remote locations with modern, light-weight hiking equipment. © © Sigtryggur Johannsson

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Discover our other priorities and find ways you can help transform the future of the world.

In addition to protecting land and water, The Nature Conservancy is listening to science to address today’s most pressing challenges.