What Conservation Measures Partnership does

Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP) is a US-based, membership-driven partnership founded in 2004 that develops and maintains open standards for conservation practice worldwide. The organization convenes 36 member institutions, including major NGOs such as WWF, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, and African Wildlife Foundation, government agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, and funders including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, with a separate CMP Associates tier for individual practitioners. CMP operates with a lean staff of 5 employees, relying on member contributions, biennial retreats, and the affiliated Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet) for delivery.

Its core products are the Conservation Standards framework (most recently v5.0 released in 2025, marking twenty years of development), the COMET Methods Repository (an open-access library of 50+ field-tested monitoring methods with 100+ contributors and 150+ cited research papers), the IUCN-CMP Direct Threats Classification and Actions Classification taxonomies (jointly maintained with the IUCN Species Survival Commission), the Conservation Actions and Measures Library (CAML), and the Miradi conservation planning software. All content is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license and distributed primarily through self-serve downloads and the CCNet training channel.

CMP's revenue model is built on recurring annual membership fees from institutional members, a separate subscription for individual CMP Associates, and supplementary grants (notably from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation). Marketing is community-led: a content-rich website, newsletter, LinkedIn and YouTube channels, biennial CCNet & CMP Rally events, and collaborative working groups. Customer concentration is moderate, with a handful of large institutional members likely accounting for a disproportionate share of dues alongside a long tail of smaller organizations.

Name

Conservation Measures Partnership

Legal name

Conservation Measures Partnership

Website

https://conservationmeasures.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Conservation Measures Partnership is a US-based, membership-driven partnership founded in 2004 that develops open Conservation Standards, monitoring methods, and taxonomies for 36 global conservation NGOs, government agencies, and funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CMP generates revenue through membership fees from organizations. There is a membership pricing structure available with associated benefits and obligations for member institutions.
2. CMP Associate Program: Individual conservation professionals can join as CMP Associates with a separate pricing structure for participation in the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CMP develops and maintains open standards and supporting technology for the practice of conservation. Its core product is the Conservation Standards framework (currently v5.0) — principles and practices for conservation planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation — supplemented by the Miradi conservation planning software, the COMET open-access methods repository, the IUCN-CMP Threats and Actions Classifications, and the CAML results-chain library. The offerings are distributed free of charge to practitioners worldwide, with the organization funded through organizational membership fees, individual associate fees, and grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Conservation Standards: The flagship product of CMP - providing principles and practices for effective conservation. Also known as Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation.
• COMET
• Miradi
• Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet)
• Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation

Products and services

• Conservation Standards (v5.0) Open-source framework providing principles and practices for effective conservation planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Formerly known as the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation. Freely downloadable from conservationstandards.org and used by conservation NGOs, government agencies, funders, and practitioners worldwide.
• Miradi Conservation Planning Software Software tool for diagramming the Conservation Standards process and managing conservation projects. Recommended CMP-supported tool for implementing the Standards, used to develop results chains and project plans.
• COMET Methods Repository Free, practitioner-focused open-access online repository of field-proven, cost-effective methods for monitoring conservation progress. Hosts 50+ monitoring methods contributed by 100+ global practitioners, grounded in both scientific and Indigenous ways of knowing, and references 150+ research papers.
• IUCN-CMP Threats Classification (v4.0) Hierarchical classification system for conservation threats, jointly maintained with the IUCN Species Survival Commission since 2008. Version 4.0 released in January 2025. Provides standardized vocabulary for threat classification across the conservation sector.
• IUCN-CMP Actions Classification Hierarchical classification system for conservation actions, organized for standardized reporting across organizations and projects. Maintained jointly with the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
• Conservation Actions and Measures Library (CAML) Open-source library of Miradi results chains for common conservation actions, organized by the IUCN-CMP Actions Classification taxonomy.
• CMP Organizational Membership Annual subscription membership for conservation organizations (NGOs, agencies, funders). Members pay annual fees, commit to active participation, contribute to general CMP costs and event hosting, designate representatives, and have one vote in CMP governance.
• CMP Associate Program Individual membership tier for individual conservation professionals, with separate pricing, providing access to the CMP community and resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• Conservation Standards 5.0 released after 20 years of development with input from over 100 conservation practitioners
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• Tusk USAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2017Joined CMP in 2017. Tusk has taken an integrated approach to conservation since 1990, working with local communities to protect wildlife and manage natural resources across Africa.
• Conservation Coaches Network (CCNet)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCNet is a global network of trained coaches who provide training and support for Conservation Standards implementation. They collaborate with CMP on training materials, case study competitions, and joint events including the biennial Rally.
• MiradiflagshipTechnology or IntegrationMiradi is the recommended software tool for implementing the Conservation Standards. CMP maintains the Miradi initiative to continue updating and improving the conservation planning software.
• IUCN Species Survival CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMP partners with IUCN to develop and maintain the Unified Threats Classification (now at v4.0) and Actions Classification, providing standardized taxonomies for the conservation community since 2008.
• NatureServemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined CMP in 2017 to promote innovation in conservation development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Contributes expertise in biodiversity data and species information.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): IUCN is the global authority on biodiversity standards and co-develops the IUCN-CMP Direct Threats Classification (v4.0) with CMP. Both organizations set conservation practice norms and convene a global membership across governments, NGOs, and scientists, making them the closest functional peer.
• Foundations of Success (FoS): Foundations of Success was founded by many of the same practitioners who created the Open Standards and trains conservation practitioners on adaptive management and results chains. FoS operates in the same niche as CMP, delivering Conservation Standards coaching and methods to NGOs and funders.
• Rare: Rare applies behavior-change and conservation practice frameworks (often aligned with Conservation Standards) across fisheries, climate, and species programs. Like CMP, Rare operates globally as a methodology-and-training organization serving conservation practitioners and funders.

Others

• Miradi: Miradi is the recommended software implementation of the Conservation Standards and a CMP flagship initiative. It is the operational software counterpart to CMP's framework, sharing the same user community and methodology, and is a critical ecosystem partner.
• BirdLife International: BirdLife International is a global partnership of national bird conservation organizations. It is comparable to CMP as a federated, conservation-focused partnership that develops shared standards and tools, but its mission is bird-conservation specific rather than cross-cutting practice standards.

Broad incumbents

• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): WWF International and WWF US are CMP member organizations that apply Conservation Standards across large-scale biodiversity and protected-area programs. WWF is a major institutional consumer of CMP frameworks rather than a direct competitor, but overlaps in convener and standards-influencer roles.
• NatureServe: NatureServe is a CMP member since 2017 and produces biodiversity data, species assessments, and conservation status products. It overlaps with CMP in standardizing how conservation information is collected and reported, but operates a broader portfolio of data services.
• Conservation International (CI): Conservation International is a large multinational conservation NGO operating in priority ecosystems worldwide. It shares CMP's adaptive management orientation and is part of the same conservation practice community, but its scale and program-delivery focus make it adjacent rather than directly comparable.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC): TNC is a CMP founding member organization that uses Conservation Standards in its global portfolio. As a much larger implementer of conservation projects, TNC is comparable to CMP's member base rather than to CMP itself, but influences the standards CMP develops.
• Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS): WCS is a CMP member organization that runs species and habitat programs globally. It is a leading institutional adopter of Conservation Standards and is comparable to other broad incumbent conservation NGOs, with practices shaped by CMP frameworks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/conservationstandards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-measures-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Measures Partnership