What makes us different?

Striving to make a real difference to protect and conserve the Australian environment for the benefit of people and nature, we pride ourselves on five key strengths in the way we work.

1. We get things done

We’re proud to be very action-oriented in our approach to conservation. While we invest in policy formulation, public awareness campaigns and other forms of indirect conservation action, most of our efforts are applied directly in the field to make an immediate difference for conservation.

See for yourself with these examples: 

• Restoring Australia's lost shellfish reefs 
• Reducing destructive late season wildfires in the Northern Territory and reducing carbon emissions
• Conserving part of the world’s largest intact desert in Western Australia

2. We’re highly trusted 

In 2018, for the fifth time, The Nature Conservancy was named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute, an independent research centre. This honour recognises our focus on ethics and integrity in everything we do.

We were the only philanthropic organisation to be recognised.

The diversity of partners we work with here in Australia in business, government and local communities also demonstrates the high levels of trust these entities place in us.

3. We’re efficient

Working closely with a range of partners such as farmers, fishers, Indigenous rangers and other environmental groups means we conduct our work in the most efficient way possible.

In fact, 76% of our funding goes directly to supporting our conservation projects. We’ve had more than 65 years’ experience in getting this right.

4. We’re experts in our field

Our Australia team includes a range of expert specialists, about half of whom are scientists with marine biology, ecology, zoology or forest conservation backgrounds.

You can meet each of our Australian program scientists and learn about what they do here.

Being part of a global team working across more than 70 countries and territories means we can also draw on the 400 other scientists employed by The Nature Conservancy globally including the talents of our global Senior Lead Scientist, Dr Eddie Game.

5. Our work has the highest impact

We’re highly focused on conservation work that has the highest possible impact on a landscape or seascape scale. Take for example our shellfish reef restoration projects underway in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland (unique to TNC in Australia), or our impact investment project in the Murray-Darling Basin balancing agriculture, finance and the environment – another Australian first. You can learn more about the impacts we’re having across Australia here.

We hope you’ll join us and support our work to address climate change, protect and conserve nature and sustain abundant clean water.