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

As of October 2025, the group appears to be in transition, with its long-time founder and chairman of the board Peter Seligmann departing the group. ²

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. ³ Founded in 1987, Conservation International has more than 800 offices in 29 countries, 500 employees, and more than 30 partner organizations. ^{3 1}

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. ⁴

Advocacy

Conservation International has repeatedly argued that the world is facing resource shortages, including scarce fresh water, dying oceans, and unreliable food supplies. ³ Much of Conservation International’s work has focused on expanding environmental regulations to prevent the continued use of natural resources. ⁵ 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. ¹ Conservation International has expressed its desire to continue to implement such regulations, setting a goal to double the world’s protected ocean area. ¹

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. ¹

Funding

In the fiscal year ending in June 2024, Conservation International awarded grants to 53 groups in the United States, many of which were universities. The largest single grant was $8,359,516 to the World Resources Institute for its priceless planet coalition technical implementation and program management for restoration programs in Africa and Central America. ⁶

The second largest grant was $1,355,999 to the Wildlife Conservation Society to support its operations in South America, Asia, and Africa, including opposing gold mining in Bolivia, “empowering communities” to manage wetlands in communist-ruled Laos, the use of satellite technology to support conservation efforts in Central Asia, and the support of conservation efforts on the oceans. ⁶

The third largest grant was $910,391 to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in support of “business action and advocacy for the planet” as part of the “business for nature” initiative that advances “leadership of the private sector and cities.” ⁶

The fourth largest grant was $708,300 to the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition to support protected marine areas in the Antarctic region. ⁶

Another large grant was $499,459 to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Washington, D.C. to support “accelerate conservation and restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats globally” and other projects in Asia. ⁶

The group gave a $406,197 grant to Heifer Project International as part of their heifer challenge program. ⁶

Other grants the group awarded were $117,431 to the Bahamas National Trust Fund Inc. to manage the enforcement and implementation of the Bahamas national protected area network through technology and sustainable funding mechanisms, $56,795 to the Center for Large Landscape Conservation to improve the capacity and connectivity of reserves in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, $40,175 to the Conservation Council of Nations, $82,532 to the Earth Island Institute, $166,380 to the Givepower Foundation to support a ranger station project, $7,244 to Green Forest Work Inc. to restore an old coal mine in Appalachia, $252,500 to the Hatch Accelerator Fund Management LLC to support their program for “women in ocean food innovation studio,” $38,261 to the International Rivers Network to oppose hydroelectric and flood control dam projects in the Mekong Valley in southeast Asia, $218,239 to Oceana to support more ocean management programs in Chile and advocate for greater restrictions on marine development, $74,411 to Oxfam America to support “community-based” fisheries management in Cambodia, $44,440 to Pathfinder International to support sustainable aquaculture in Lake Victoria in Africa, $285,815 to the Resources Legacy Fund to support their remote island programs and to advocate for a green fee, $222,630 to The Nature Conservancy to support their projects in the Caribbean, $189,275 to the Ocean Foundation to support the “big ocean” project, $112,208 to the Peregrine Fund to support their work in the Dominican Republic, $580,560 to the U.S. Department of the Treasury to support a forest conservation debt swap agreement between the United States and Peru, $13,363 to the Wildlife Alliance to “prevent pandemics” and reduce the illegal wildlife trade in Cambodia, and $184,020 to the World Wildlife Fund. ⁶

Leadership

Peter Seligmann is the founder and former chairman of the board of Conservation International. Seligmann has been 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. ⁷ In June 2025, Seligmann stepped down from the board of Conservation International. ²

As of October 2025, Robert J. Fischer is the interim chair of the board of Conservation International. Fischer is the son of GAP’s founders and has served on the company’s board since 1990. Fischer created and serves on the board of the Pisces Foundation and is also a co-founder of the Water Foundation. ⁸

As of October 2025, Wesley Bush is the chairman of Conservation International’s executive committee. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Northrup Grumman Corporation. ⁹

Actor and private pilot Harrison Ford is the group’s vice chairman. ⁹

The other members of the board are investor and philanthropist John Arnhold, billionaire heiress Valerie Mars of the Mars Incorporated candy company, former Colombian president Ivan Duque, fashion designer Stella McCartney, former Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson, and numerous other business people and conservationists. ⁹

Daniel Shaw is the chairman of the group’s leadership council. He is the president of the Catto Shaw Foundation, which supports a variety of left-of-center causes. He has previously sat on the boards of the American Farmland Trust, the Aspen Community Foundation, and Aspen Words. ¹⁰

As of October 2025, Daniela Raik is the chief conservation officer and interim chief executive officer of Conservation International. Raik has worked at Conservation International for 19 years. Previously, she worked for the U.S. Peace Corps and was assigned to Madagascar. ¹¹

As of October 2025, Julius Court is the executive vice president and the chief operating officer of Conservation International. Before joining the group, Court worked for the United Kingdom government, serving as a former development director and deputy high commissioner in Kenya. Before that, he worked for the United Nations and the Overseas Development Institute. ¹²

As of October 2025, Mike Sweeney is the executive vice president and chief resource and strategy officer. Before joining Conservation International in 2024, he worked for two decades at The Nature Conservancy, including working for 17 years as the executive director of the California chapter. ¹³

As of October 2025, Patricia Zurita is the executive vice president and chief partnerships officer for Conservation International. She first joined Conservation International in 2003 and worked in the Andes region and led the group’s Conservation Stewards program for seven years. She returned to Conservation International in 2023 to serve in this new leadership position. In between her tenures at Conservation International, Zurita worked  as the director of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (a joint program with Conservation International, the World Bank, the French Development Agency, the European Union, and the government of Japan) and worked as the chief executive officer for BirdLife International. ¹⁴

Corporate Partnerships

Conservation International works with both business and government agencies to fund conservationist projects and promote private investments in environmentalism. ¹ Conservation International’s partners have included oil companies, mining companies, and pesticide makers. ¹⁵

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. ¹⁶

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. ¹⁷

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. ¹⁵

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.” ¹⁵

Financials

According to Conservation International’s 2024 tax returns, the group received $271,220,924 in revenue, had $297,868,185 in expenses, and $416,665,764 in net assets. ⁶

Former CEO Sanjayan Muttulingam had a total compensation from the group of $1,022,899. The group also provided first-class or charter travel for leadership, along with a housing allowance. ⁶

The group received $73,773,750 in grants from governments. ⁶

1. About. Conservation International. Accessed November 21, 2020. https://www.conservation.org/about
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3. Conservation International. LinkedIn. Accessed November 21, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/company/conservation-international/about/
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7. Board of Directors. Accessed November 22, 2020. https://www.conservation.org/about/board-of-directors
8. “Bob Fisher.” Pisces Foundation. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://piscesfoundation.org/bio/bob-fisher/.
9. “Board of Directors.” Conservation International. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.conservation.org/about/our-people/board-of-directors.
10. ^[1] “Daniel Shaw.” ACES. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://aspennature.org/people/daniel-shaw/.
11. “Daniela Raik, Ph.D..” Conservation International. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.conservation.org/profiles/daniela-raik-phd.
12.  “Julius Court.” Conservation International. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.conservation.org/profiles/julius-court
13.  “Mike Sweeney.” Conservation International. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.conservation.org/profiles/mike-sweeney.
14.  “Patricia Zurita.” Conservation International. Accessed October 27, 2025. https://www.conservation.org/profiles/patricia–zurita.
15. Dolan, Kerry. “As Trump Shuns the Environmental, Conservation International Draws Support From Wealthy Board Members.” April 12, 2017. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2017/04/12/environment-nonprofit-conservation-international-billionaires-philanthropy-against-trump/?sh=552d6e58435d
16. “Conservative International: ‘Are They Any More Than a Green PR Company?’” Redd Monitor. May 12, 2011. Accessed November 21, 2020. https://redd-monitor.org/2011/05/12/conservation-international-%E2%80%9Care-they-any-more-than-a-green-pr-company%E2%80%9D/
17. Hari, Johan. “The Wrong Kind of Green.” The Nation. March 9, 2010. Accessed November 22, 2020. https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/wrong-kind-green/