Conservation International

Four years ago, the world made a shared commitment to protect 30% of our planet’s lands and seas by 2030. As we enter the final stretch, Conservation International Executive Director and Chief External Affairs Officer Patricia Zurita shares why #COP17 is a chance to build on the progress we’ve made, and accelerate the solutions that can get us there. From investing in nature to rethinking harmful subsidies and supporting Indigenous Peoples and local communities, we have the tools to protect biodiversity and tackle the climate crisis together. The goal is within reach. Now is the time to turn commitments into lasting action as we work #TogetherForScience and for the future.   READ CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL’S FULL STATEMENT: https://lnkd.in/ekFV2rTA

🌊 Applications are now open for the 2027 IBCI Fellowship! 🌊 Are you a blue carbon scientist or practitioner working to protect, restore, or conserve coastal ecosystems? The International Blue Carbon Institute (IBCI) is looking for its next Fellow. Since 2024, the IBCI Fellowship Program has supported outstanding experts to advance blue carbon science, innovation, and implementation solutions. What the Fellowship offers: 💰 A USD 60,000 grant over two years to support new or existing research and projects 🤝 Access to a global network of blue carbon professionals, including the International Blue Carbon Scientific Working Group 🔬 Opportunities for research collaboration, laboratory exchange, and skills training, including science communications We welcome multidisciplinary proposals across all blue carbon ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses and kelp forests, spanning scientific research, social sciences, community engagement, communications, policy and law, and conservation finance. Applications are welcome from all regions, and we strongly encourage researchers and practitioners working in the Global South, including Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. This cycle, applications from Africa are particularly encouraged. 📅 Applications close 23 November 2026. Fellows will be announced in March 2027. 📩 Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gp4DJGa6 Please share with your networks! 🌿🌎 #BlueCarbon #Fellowship #ClimateAction #Mangroves #Seagrass #SaltMarsh #Kelp #CoastalWetlands #MarineConservation #NatureBasedSolutions #IBCI

Will new carbon market rules help or hinder investment in nature? Carbon markets can help channel finance to protect forests, restore ecosystems, and support climate action. But decisions currently being made under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement could make it nearly impossible for nature to access that finance. A new paper by a group of experts, including Conservation International scientist Guy Pinjuv, PhD, explores how these proposed rules could affect nature and offers practical alternatives to protect climate benefits against potential losses while also recognizing the value of carbon stored over different periods, ultimately enabling carbon markets to work across different sectors. Getting these decisions right matters. Whether you work in government, business, finance, or are simply interested in climate solutions, we invite you to take a look here: “Reframing Permanence for Natural Climate Solutions in Article 6.”: https://lnkd.in/e-ZGYXEx   Jason Funk Charlie Brummitt Racheal Notto Cauê D. Carrilho, PhD Jennifer Howard Kiryssa Kasprzyk Bickford Florence Laloë Juan David Mira Mariela Perrone Reed

The ocean is central to climate action — and #COP31 is an opportunity to turn that recognition into meaningful progress. Join Conservation International and the International Blue Carbon Institute for a virtual conversation on advancing ocean-based climate action, including the conservation and restoration of marine and coastal blue carbon ecosystems. Hear from policymakers, negotiators, and stakeholders on key policy recommendations, opportunities for enhanced action, and lessons learned from coastal and marine Nature-based Solutions in Southeast Asia. 📅 14 October 2026
 ⏰ 10:00-11:00 AM Singapore Time (UTC+8)
 📍 Virtual (Zoom) Register: https://luma.com/blouyviw

Transforming food systems rarely begins with a large investment. More often, it begins by proving what is possible. For Herding for Health, that proof began with less than USD 50,000 from the THE JOHN KATIE HANSEN FAMILY FOUNDATION in South Africa's Namaqualand. Farmers there were losing livestock to caracal and jackal. Working with the Cape Leopard Trust, Conservation South Africa introduced Anatolian shepherd dogs to help farmers protect their livestock and reduce human-wildlife conflict. Shepherd dogs and professional herders cut those losses and raised a bigger question: if better herding could solve this, what else could it solve? The answer reshaped the approach. Planned grazing began restoring soils and rangelands. Mobile auctions and a mobile abattoir opened formal markets to communal farmers previously excluded by disease restrictions. Today, Herding for Health operates across seven African countries, with more than one million hectares under improved management and an estimated US$8.4 million in economic benefits for participating communities. In Botswana, the government has adopted the model across roughly 4.6 million hectares. Behind these numbers is a lesson for anyone investing in food security and climate resilience. The first investment does not need to finance the whole solution. It only needs to create the conditions for the next one. How did a single drop become a ripple, and what will it take to build the wave?   LEARN MORE: https://lnkd.in/eaiRDv9v Peace Parks Foundation #HerdingForHealth

Sustainable production shouldn't be the exception. It should be the norm.     By reforming incentives, governments can reward sustainable, resilient production, making it the cost-effective and competitive choice. That means stronger supply chains, better use of public money and greater security for the resources every economy depends on.     That's why we're supporting the open letter from 130+ businesses and financial institutions including Aldi Sued, BNP Paribas Asset Management, Danone, Decathlon, H&M Group, Legal & General, Mahindra Group, Natura, Nestlé, Ørsted, Rabobank, Triodos Bank and Unilever calling on governments to reform incentives.      Right now, at least US$2.6 trillion a year in public spending unintentionally accelerates resource depletion. Reforming these incentives is a trillion-dollar economic opportunity.     Read the letter: https://lnkd.in/euyri-6f      Business for Nature Finance for Biodiversity UN Biodiversity  #ReformIncentives

Premium consumers and buyers pay for certified seafood rarely reaches fishers, a new Conservation International study led by Seafood Markets and Equity Program Manager Shreya Yadav found. Most of the value stays with retailers, distributors, and exporters. But here’s the thing: you can't expect people to commit to sustainable fishing in the long term if they’re not earning enough to live. Putting communities first, strengthening fishing organizations, giving fishers a real hand in managing their own resources, and addressing social inequities is key. https://lnkd.in/e2VyBw3Y

Protecting and restoring nature is essential to tackling the climate crisis, and businesses have an important role to play. During #ClimateWeekNYC, Conservation International CEO Sebastian Troëng joined S&P Global’s All Things Sustainable podcast to explore the economic value of healthy ecosystems and how collaboration across governments, businesses, and philanthropy can help scale investment in nature. The conversation also looks at nature-based solutions already delivering impact, and the opportunities to expand them around the world. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eVyNzHip

Pacific leaders, Indigenous and customary leaders, governments, development partners and conservation practitioners have come together at the Pacific Pre-COP31 in Fiji to call for climate, biodiversity and ocean finance to better recognize Indigenous leadership, customary governance and community priorities. Convened by Conservation International in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO UK), the Indigenous Leadership in Blue Pacific Finance event brought together Pacific leaders, Indigenous representatives, youth and finance experts to explore how conservation finance can move beyond short-term projects towards approaches that are long-term, flexible and locally led. The discussion featured Filimone Waqabaca, CEO of Fiji Development Bank; Taholo Kami, Principal Partner at Kami Pacific; Ratu Sakiusa B. Taukena, Chief of Saivou District, Ra Province; Dr Winifereti Nainoca, Rewa Provincial Development Committee; and Alumita Talei SEKINAIRAI, Indigenous Youth Conservation Leader. Keynote speakers included First Nations Ambassador Justin Mohamed and Steph Lysaght, Acting British High Commissioner. For climate finance to deliver lasting outcomes for people and nature, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities need to be at the center of how investment is designed, governed and accessed. This includes recognising customary governance systems, strengthening local capacity and ensuring communities can access finance on terms that reflect their priorities and realities. The discussion brought Pacific perspectives and Indigenous leadership into the wider climate and conservation finance conversation ahead of COP31, highlighting the role of locally led approaches in delivering lasting outcomes for people and nature across the region. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ehXZERrQ UK in Fiji Conservation International Pacific Islands iTaukei Women in Conservation Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics, Fiji Setaita Tamanikaiyaroi