Sound science, tangible results and a non-confrontational approach are the hallmarks of the work of The Nature Conservancy.

   Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is the world's largest private, international conservation group. It is the world's largest non-profit conservation organization and the 12th largest non-profit in the United States.

   Preserving plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive is the mission of the The Nature Conservancy. It is a mission that is both ambitious and inspiring, driven by a vision for what could be, but it is also rational, the product of logical analysis.

   The Nature Conservancy is the world's largest non-profit conservation organization and the 12th largest non-profit in the United States.

   In ongoing efforts to protect the full diversity of life on Earth, The Nature Conservancy always looks to science for guidance. Conservation would be like making a journey without a map if not for a scientific understanding of the natural world and its myriad components - and the ability to use the tools of modern science to begin filling the many gaps in that understanding.

   As president from 1973 to 1980, Pat Noonan created the modern Nature Conservancy and served as president from 1973 to 1980. He hired top professionals in business, real estate and science-people who later forged the organization's science-based strategies and negotiated its first multi- million-dollar land deals.

   The Conservation Science Division of The Nature Conservancy facilitates the use of 21st century science in unprecedented ways. It develops and tests conservation models and tools that have a direct effect on on- the- ground conservation at sites. The Conservation Science Division provides methods, training and technical support to Conservancy field staff and partners. The Division focuses on three core areas: conservation planning at scales from sites to ecoregions; ecological management and restoration; and freshwater conservation. The Division also includes an applied research function focusing on emerging conservation issues.

   The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 12 million acres in the United States and over 60 million acres in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. It also manages the largest system of private nature sanctuaries in the world.

   According to William Stolzneburg, "In its 50 years of saving species, The Nature Conservancy has amassed a record of protection that by now has become mantra within the argot of biological conservation: more than 12 million acres of habitat saved in the U.S.; conservation programs in every state and in 25 countries; 20,000 species (and counting) under watch in our shared data bases.