To preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
The Nature Conservancy, founded in 1951, is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy is based in the United States, and is working in over 30 countries across the globe to address threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems.
The Nature Conservancy commenced work in China in 1998, in a partnership with the Yunnan Provincial Government to help protect the spectacular biological and cultural diversity of northwest Yunnan Province. We carried out a number of projects here that deliver benefits for local communities and wildlife habitat including introducing the national park model to China, installing clean alternative energy units to reduce fuel wood consumption, and other projects aimed at protecting endangered species like the Yunnan golden monkey and increasing environmental awareness through the Pride Campaign.
Along with our continuing Yunnan projects, The Nature Conservancy now works with partners across China on a number of important national and regional-level initiatives Our current work in China focuses on the following areas:
Climate Change
We are conducting reforestation and ecological restoration projects in Sichuan Province and Inner Mongolia that will sequester atmospheric carbon while restoring wildlife habitat and delivering benefits to local communities. We are also conducting a climate impact analysis on China’s 32 Priority Conservation Areas across the country, and also creating a forest carbon accounting system that will enable China to track forest carbon data in a way that meets international reporting requirements.
Protected Areas
We are working with local and national government agencies to strengthen existing protected areas while introducing new protected area models that include economic benefits – such as national parks and land trust reserves.
Yangtze River
We are partnering with government agencies, hydropower companies and academic institutions to develop recommendations for sustainable dam locations and operations, protect and restore critical floodplain areas and establish a Hydropower Sustainability Fund (trust fund) where extra revenue generated through the sustainable operation of dams will finance conservation projects, compensation, and a flood early warning system/other flood protection for people living in the Yangtze Basin.
