Conservation International is a left-of-center environmentalist organization headquartered in Virginia. Founded in 1987, Conservation International lobbies political authorities to implement environmentalist policies while also promoting private investment in conservationist projects. ¹

Background

Conservation International is an environmentalist group based in Arlington, Virginia that uses research and builds partnerships to push societies to adopt conservationist policies, claiming that all societies should be committed to environmentalist ideals. ² Founded in 1987, Conservation International has more than 800 offices in 29 countries, 500 employees, and more than 30 partner organizations. ^{3 4}

In 2010, Conservation International shifted its messaging to argue that environmentalism is a necessity because humans “need” nature in order to survive as a species, but nature does not need humans. The organization shifted its logo to reflect the change, removing earlier depictions of wildlife in its logo to one and adding illustrations of human beings in order to add urgency to environmentalist messaging. ⁵

Advocacy

Conservation International has repeatedly argued that the world is facing resource shortages, including scarce fresh water, dying oceans, and unreliable food supplies. ⁶ Much of Conservation International’s work has focused on expanding environmental regulations to prevent the continued use of natural resources. ⁷ So far, Conservation International claims that it has implemented conservationist measures on over 2.3 million square miles of land and sea in more than 70 countries. ⁸ Conservation International has expressed its desire to continue to implement such regulations, setting a goal to double the world’s protected ocean area. ⁹

In addition to directly supporting conservationist policies, Conservation International regularly publishes environmentalist research written specifically for lawmakers in order to support its public policy goals. Conservation International also solicits funding to invest in private conservation projects. ¹⁰ Conservation International is an accredited agency for the Global Environmental Facility and the Green Climate Fund. The organization also supports countries seeking funding for environmentalist projects, most recently helping 15 countries in Africa to access more than $100 million in environmental financing.

Leadership

Peter Seligmann is the founder and chairman of the board of Conservation International. Seligmann is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a left-of-center foreign policy think tank, and has sat on several corporate boards and committees, including those of Coca-Cola Company and First Eagle Holdings. In 2000, former President Bill Clinton appointed Seligmann to the board of Enterprise for America. Before founding Conservation International, Seligmann worked for the Nature Conservancy, an environmentalist nonprofit that ranks among the largest charities in the world. ¹¹

Other members of the board of directors include actor and private pilot Harrison Ford, who sits as vice chairman; former Walmart chairman Rob Walton; Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson; billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs, the founder of the left-of-center Emerson Collective and the widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs; and GAP chairman Robert Fisher. ¹²

Sanjayan is the CEO of Conservation International. Sanjayan is a conservation scientist who specializes in genetics, wildlife migration, and nature’s impacts on human wellness. Sanjayan became CEO in 2017 but joined the organization in 2014 when he oversaw the organization’s $1.1 billion capital campaign. ¹³

Barbara Dipietro is the chief financial officer of Conservation International. She previously worked as the organization’s vice president for finance. ¹⁴

Will Turner is the vice president of natural climate solutions at Conservation International. Turner is a research scientist who has published work on climate change, ecosystem services, animal behavior, and the relationship between nature and human societies. ¹⁵

Kim Keating is the “chief people officer” at Conservation International. Keating is responsible for global human resources strategy, employee orientation, continuing education programs, and management development. Keating was previously the chief human resources officer for the YMCA in Central Maryland. ¹⁶

Augustin Silvani is the senior vice president for the finance division of Conservation International. He came to Conservation International after a career in finance with several banks, including six years with a British trading group. ¹⁷

James Roth is the senior vice president of global policy and government relations for Conservation International. Roth previously led the government affairs department for Starbucks. Prior to his work with Starbucks, Roth worked as chief of staff for former United States Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN). ¹⁸

Miguel Morales is the senior vice president of Conservation International’s global environment facility project agency and green climate fund implementing agency. Morales joined the organization in 2006. Previously, Morales worked for thirty years in the conservationist movement, spending time at the Conservation Data Center, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the United Nations Development Program in Paraguay. ¹⁹

Corporate Partnerships

Conservation International works with both business and government agencies to fund conservationist projects and promote private investments in environmentalism. ²⁰ Conservation International’s partners have included oil companies, mining companies, and pesticide makers. ²¹

Conservation International’s corporate partners have included Alcoa, ArcelorMittal, Barrick Gold, BG Group., BHP Billiton, the BP Foundation, Bunge, Cargill, Chevron, Coca-Cola, De Beers Group, Giti Tire, Goldman Sachs, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Medco Group, Monsanto, MPX Colombia, Newmont Mining Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Rio Tinto, Shell, Toyota Motor Corporation, United Airlines, Walmart, and Wilmar International. ²²

Conservation International has received criticism from the left for its willingness to work with private corporations. Former Conservation International employee Christine McDonald wrote “Green Inc.,” a book which claims many conservationist organizations side with corporations in return for large donations. ²³

In 2016, Conservation International raised $212 million from foundations and wealthy donors for the purpose of achieving “zero net deforestation” in the Amazon forest by 2020. Donations from corporations made up 16% of the total amount raised towards this goal. ²⁴

Conservation International also brokered a project with McDonald’s, Starbucks, and the governments of Rwanda and Mexico to promote its Sustainable Coffee Challenge. The Conservation International project has aimed to turn coffee into the world’s “first sustainable agricultural product.” ²⁵

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