Conservation International

What Conservation International does

Conservation International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that delivers science-based conservation programs across more than 30 countries with active projects in over 100 countries. The organization works with governments, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, multilateral donors, and corporate partners to protect biodiversity, oceans, and climate-critical ecosystems, reporting cumulative impact of 13 million square kilometers of land and sea protected and 100 million lives touched over its 39-year history. Its core capabilities span biodiversity surveys (camera trap and bioacoustic monitoring, including AI-assisted species identification in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains), marine conservation (400+ coral species documented in Timor-Leste), watershed protection, and sustainable supply chain programs (palm oil, soy, coffee, beef) with corporate ESG partners including P&G, KFC, Yum! Brands, Inditex, Kering, Starbucks, and Salesforce. The organization maintains wholly-owned country entities in Suriname, Timor-Leste, South Africa, Peru, Mexico, and the Philippines, and collaborates with academic partners such as Arizona State University.

Conservation International's revenue model is a nonprofit hybrid combining grants from multilateral institutions (GEF, World Bank, BNDES, Green Climate Fund), corporate sustainability partnerships, individual donations processed via Stripe and Paragon, and an emerging fee-based Impact Advisory practice serving large-scale conservation finance vehicles—most notably the $1.24 billion BTG Pactual Latin American Reforestation Strategy and the Trafigura-backed Miombo Restoration Alliance across four African nations. The go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven rather than commercial: CI secures multi-year programmatic grants, deploys field teams and country offices, and co-manages protected areas with governments and Indigenous communities. Recent capital inflows of $23.3 million from GEF (December 2025), up to $56 million from BNDES, and a $115 million Rob Walton Foundation gift to establish the Rob Walton School of Conservation Futures with ASU indicate expansion of both programmatic scale and the conservation finance advisory franchise. The organization is governed by an independent board currently chaired by interim chair Lisa P. Jackson (former EPA Administrator) and led by CEO Dr. Sebastian Troeng following a February 2026 leadership transition.

Name

Conservation International

Legal name

Conservation International Foundation

Website

https://conservation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Conservation International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that uses science-based methods and community partnerships to protect biodiversity, oceans, and climate across 30+ countries, serving governments, Indigenous communities, corporate ESG partners, and multilateral donors including GEF, World Bank, and BNDES.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Forestry, Land Use & REDD+ Programs (BPADALAF), Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE), Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity) (IMAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Biodiversity conservation
• Marine protected areas
• Climate change mitigation
• Ecosystem restoration
• Community-based conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donations: Conservation International receives funding through grants from organizations like the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which approved $23.3 million in new funding in December 2025, as well as individual donations and corporate contributions.
2. Impact Advisory Services: CI serves as Impact Adviser for large-scale reforestation funds like the $1.24 billion BTG Pactual Latin American Reforestation Strategy, providing scientific oversight and conservation expertise.
3. Project Development Services: Non-profits International Conservation Caucus Foundation and Conservation International help develop carbon removal projects while Trafigura acts as main financial backer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Conservation International delivers science-based field conservation programs across Climate, Oceans, and Biodiversity priorities in 30+ countries with projects in 100+ countries. Services include protected area management, species and ecosystem conservation, reforestation, marine protected area support, and impact advisory for conservation finance vehicles such as the $1.24B BTG Pactual Latin American Reforestation Strategy. Programs are funded through grants from institutions like the Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund, individual donations, and corporate sustainability partnerships with brands such as KFC, P&G, Inditex, and Yum! Brands.

Product overview

Conservation International operates primarily as a conservation nonprofit organization rather than a traditional product company. Its primary digital offering is its website and online platform, which serves as an interface for the organization's conservation mission. The platform provides access to information about CI's three main priorities: Climate solutions, Oceans protection, and Biodiversity conservation. Over four decades, CI has helped protect 13 million square kilometers of land and sea. The organization works across 30 countries and 100-plus project countries, with field offices in Suriname, Timor-Leste, Peru, South Africa, Mexico, and other locations. The website enables donations, news access, project information, and includes specialized tools such as a carbon footprint calculator for public use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kruselíndalo South Africa NPC: Registered name for Conservation South Africa operations

Products and services

• Conservation Field Programs (Climate, Oceans, Biodiversity)

Quantifiable outcome

• Protected 13 million square kilometers of land and sea
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026RSPO and Conservation International organized a field trip for North American buyers to the Ecuadorian Amazon, engaging with independent oil palm smallholders from ANCUPA and showcasing sustainable production practices at Grupo Danec's RSPO-certified mill.
• Yum! BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026KFC is collaborating with CI in Brazil and Ecuador to promote sustainable palm oil and soy production aimed at reducing deforestation and supporting local farmers. Taco Bell is expanding its partnership with NFWF through the Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program.
• Trafigura/Miombo Restoration AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026A coalition backed by Trafigura investing $1 billion-plus over 40 years in four African carbon projects spanning Mozambique, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi. CI and International Conservation Caucus Foundation help develop projects while Trafigura acts as main financial backer.
• Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 October 2025SEI, TNC, and Conservation International co-developed a FAO report on forests and agriculture, with CI participating in COP30 events in Belém, Brazil.
• Procter & Gamble (P&G)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2025P&G partnered with CI on a project in Palawan, Philippines to protect upland forests and mangroves as part of their commitment to protect, restore or improve over 1.5 million acres of land.
• Arizona State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASU and CI partnered with Arizona State University and Colombia's national parks service to apply integrated land-use planning frameworks in Colombia for identifying future conservation sites.
• Grupo DanecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSPO and CI visited Grupo Danec's RSPO-certified mill featuring Ecuador's largest boiler and its 500-hectare ecological reserve ACUS La Pantera during sustainable palm oil field trip.
• ANCUPAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of independent oil palm smallholders in Ecuador engaged through RSPO-CI organized field trip for sustainable palm oil supply chain engagement.
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaco Bell is expanding its partnership with NFWF through the Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program supporting sustainable cattle grazing across more than 300,000 acres.
• SalesforceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalesforce is investing in watershed restoration projects across Latin America including conservation work in Brazil's Jaguari River Basin and three initiatives in Mexico.
• StarbuckscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarbucks International CEO shared industry predictions focusing on climate change and supporting coffee-growing communities. CI has worked with Starbucks on coffee sustainability initiatives.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF is a direct peer operating a global conservation NGO with comparable structure — corporate partnerships, species and habitat programs, GEF/UN-aligned funding, and similar breadth across forests, oceans, and wildlife. Operates in many of the same geographies as CI.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: WCS runs field-based conservation science programs globally (similar to CI's Rapid Assessment Program), manages large protected areas, and works on biodiversity and ecosystem services with comparable funding sources including GEF grants and corporate partnerships.
• Rainforest Alliance: Rainforest Alliance focuses on sustainable commodity supply chains and certification — overlapping with CI's corporate palm oil, soy, and beef sustainability partnerships with KFC, P&G, and others. Competes for similar corporate sustainability budgets.
• Fauna & Flora International: FFI is a global conservation NGO with a similar species-and-habitat focus, science-driven methodology, and partnerships with corporate and institutional funders. Operates in many of the same tropical geographies as CI.
• The Nature Conservancy: The Nature Conservancy is the world's largest conservation NGO with comparable global footprint, science-based conservation methodology, corporate partnership programs, and major donor base. Directly competes with CI for institutional grants, corporate sustainability engagements, and talent.

Emerging players

• Rare: Rare runs behavior-change campaigns for conservation and partners with communities and corporations; overlaps with CI's community-based conservation model and corporate sustainability partnership strategy, though smaller in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Environmental Defense Fund: EDF is a broader environmental nonprofit with significant overlap on corporate sustainability partnerships, science-driven climate and nature work, and major donor base. Less focused on direct field conservation than CI but competes for similar donor and corporate attention.

Others

• Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO): RSPO is a multi-stakeholder certification body for sustainable palm oil, with which CI actively partners on field engagements (Ecuador smallholder programs). Not a direct competitor but an ecosystem participant in the same supply-chain sustainability space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@conservationinternationals2080
• Facebookfacebook.com/conservation.intl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-international
• Xx.com/conservationorg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Conservation International