The Nature Conservancy pursues non-confrontational, pragmatic, market-based solutions to conservation challenges. This makes it essential for us to work collaboratively with partners—communities, businesses, government agencies, multilateral institutions, individuals and other non-profit organizations.

Governmental Partners
In the United States, we work with federal government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Defense (DOD); as well as agencies at the state and local level. For example:

• Learn about the Sustainable Rivers Project, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Non-Profit Partners
The Conservancy works with other like-minded organizations, ranging from large non-profit conservation groups like Conservation International and NatureServe, to local land trusts. For example:

• Explore the Natural Capital Project, a partnership among the Conservancy, WWF, and Stanford University designed to make conservation economically attractive and commonplace throughout the world.
• Learn about Transforming Coral Reef Conservation, a partnership between The Nature Conservancy and Conservation International.
• Learn how the Conservancy is supporting the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE) to protect the natural wonder and resources of Belize.

Local Stakeholders
The Conservancy works in cooperation with private landowners and local stakeholders, such as ranchers, farmers and fishermen, to ensure good ecological management while continuing to support the local economy. For example:

• Learn how the Conservancy is working with local ranchers in California's Mount Hamilton Project.
   
• Learn how the Conservancy is using sustainable aquaculture in Long Island's Great South Bay.
   
• Learn how we're working together with the world's leading international conservation organizations to conserve ecosystems for the improvement of human well-being following the release of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Indigenous and Traditional Communities
Most of the world’s biodiversity exists in areas inhabited by people. Effective conservation cannot be achieved unless the people who live and rely on those lands are an integral part of the conservation process. For more than 50 years, The Nature Conservancy has depended upon partnerships with indigenous people and local communities to conserve some of the most biologically critical and threatened ecosystems on Earth.

• Learn more about the Conservancy's active involvement with indigenous people and communities.

International Partners
Outside the United States, we work with government agencies and like-minded partner organizations to provide scientific information, infrastructure, community development, professional training, and long-term resources. For example:

• The Mexican Conservation Fund (FMCN) is a protected-areas trust fund financed with funding from the Conservancy, USAID, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Mexican Government.

Multilateral-Bilateral Partnerships
Although our primary conservation method since The Nature Conservancy began working outside the U.S. has been allocating and designing funding sources for conservation, more and more we are understanding that successful conservation strategies must include partnerships with governments, lending institutions, and other non-governmental organizations at all levels local, national and international. For example:

• In 2002, the Conservancy worked with the World Wildlife Fund using funding from the US Agency for International Development to launch the Indonesia Illegal Logging Project, a $10 million partnership that addresses illegal logging supply side issues in Indonesia and demand side issues in major international markets such as China and Japan.
   
• The Conservancy has partnered with UNDP and others in the Equator Initiative, which was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002.
   
• The Conservancy established a new network of organizations collaborating on conservation finance initiatives—the Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA). Members as of May 2003 were: The Nature Conservancy, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund, USAID, German Government Agency for Technical Assistance (GTZ), National Parks Conservation Association (US), and RedLAC.
   
• The Global Conservation Program Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreements is a $75 million biodiversity program supported by USAID and six other conservation partners: African Wildlife Foundation, Conservation International, Enterprise WorksWorldwide, Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund, and The Nature Conservancy.
   
  The goal of the GCP is to conserve globally significant areas of biodiversity through broad programs that are sustainable, focused and adaptive. The GCP has awarded the Conservancy with funding to Kimbe Bay in Papua New Guinea, Komodo National Park, Wakatobi National Park and Raja Ampat in Indonesia, the MesoAmerican Reef system just off the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras and the Pantanal/Chaco region in Paraguay. At these sites, the Conservancy is investing in innovative conservation finance mechanisms along with site-based conservation initiatives with partners and local communities.

Corporate Partners
The Nature Conservancy works with the business community to find common ground between conservation and industry. We accept their financial and land donations, engage in cause-related marketing, foster direct conservation action, and participate in event sponsorship. The Conservancy always seeks to develop creative partnerships with corporations that result in tangible, lasting conservation. For example:

• The Conservancy and Organic Bouquet, the world's first online eco-florist, offer you a way to send beautiful floral gifts that are sustainably grown and produced. Organic Bouquet also is donating a percentage of each purchase made through nature.org back to the Conservancy.
• Learn how the Conservancy is working with the Bolivian government, three energy companies and a local conservation organization in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park.
   
• Learn more about how and which businesses partner with us.