The Conservancy must contribute solutions to the most significant Global Challenges our world faces. By concentrating on these four challenges, we can make effective use of our resources:

CONSERVING CRITICAL LANDS – Healthy forests and grasslands sustain our economies, supply our water and clean our air. But because nature’s value rarely figures in economic decisions, we continue to sacrifice these natural systems as we expand our production of food, energy and other needed resources.

RESTORING OUR OCEANS – Healthy oceans are essential for food security and economic growth, yet few of our oceans are well managed. Poorly planned development, pollution, unsustainable fishing practices and climate change threaten the health of oceans on which we all depend.

SECURING FRESH WATER – We depend on lakes and rivers for more than drinking water; they water our crops, produce fish to eat, power our factories and carry goods to market. Currently over a billion people face daily water shortages, and within the next 20 years, more than half of the world’s population could face such shortages with increased pollution.

REDUCING IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE – Climate change is already affecting our lives and the places we live, and will dramatically impact the lives of future generations. Limiting emissions of greenhouse gases is urgently needed to avoid triggering the most severe impacts of sea-level rise, weather disturbances and habitat loss, while adapting to a climate-changed world is an inevitable near-term imperative.