conservation: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Sep. 21, 2026

Facts

Also Known As	conservation of natural resources • nature conservation • environmentalism

Photos and Videos

World map highlighting Earth's terrestrial biodiversity hot spots in red, showing regions with exceptionally high levels of species richness and endemism. These hot spots are distributed across parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Mediterranean basin, Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as select areas in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Clusters of bracket fungi from the Basidiomycota group grow in layered, shelf-like formations on the bark of a tree trunk.

plesiosaur fossil

Illustration comparing the body plans of representative anthropoids, showing a male western lowland gorilla, a male human, a male bonobo, a female Bornean orangutan, and male and female northern white-cheeked gibbons, all labeled and depicted to scale.

A branching phylogenetic tree diagram shows evolutionary relationships among various organisms, from Neurospora mold to humans, based on differences in cytochrome c gene sequences. Each branch is labeled with nucleotide substitution values and illustrated with animal or organism icons along the tree.

western bluebird

eastern bluebirds

Illustration of a dodo bird, Raphus cucullatus, showing a large, flightless bird with a robust body, thick legs, and a hooked beak, with a size scale indicating a height of about 40 centimeters.

Cape sugarbird and king protea

A roaring tiger with its mouth open appears in front of rural homes, with bold blue text reading "Your new neighbor?" promoting wildlife conservation discussion.

Gloved hand holds a vial with penguin feces; two Magellanic penguins look on from the right, with emphasis marks on the sample.

Learn how the Brazilian government incentivized forest clearing in the Amazon for beef production and ranching

Overfishing: A threat to the oceans and marine life

Is the tiger population declining?

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Topics

ex situ conservation in situ conservation species-by-species approach Australian conservation seed bank wildlife conservation sustained yield World Network Biosphere Reserve 10 Conservationists of India India’s environmental timeline Ecocide biodiversity loss Deforestation ecological footprint Carbon footprint pollution

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Key People

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

American politician and environmental lawyer

Biruté Galdikas

Biruté Galdikas

primatologist, conservationist, and educator

A leading voice for the Amazon and its peoples

Nemonte Nenquimo

Waorani leader, activist, and author

Lady Bird Johnson

Lady Bird Johnson

American first lady

Al Gore speaks at a podium with two microphones, gesturing with his right hand, in front of a blue backdrop with a partial white emblem.

Al Gore

vice president of United States

John Muir

John Muir

Scottish-born American naturalist

At home with the elephants

Iain Douglas-Hamilton

English zoologist

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George B. Schaller

American environmental conservationist and author

Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin

Australian wildlife conservationist and television personality

Paul Watson.

Paul Watson

Canadian American environmental activist

“Father of the green revolution” in India

M.S. Swaminathan

Indian scientist

David Suzuki

David Suzuki

Canadian scientist, television personality, author, and activist

Murie, Margaret

Margaret Murie

American naturalist, conservationist, and writer

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Julia Carabias Lillo

Mexican ecologist and environmentalist

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Emma Lucy Braun

American botanist and ecologist

Flannery, Tim

Tim Flannery

Australian zoologist

Baun, Aleta

Aleta Baun

Indonesian conservationist

Gifford Pinchot

Gifford Pinchot

American conservationist

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland

prime minister of Norway

Julia Butterfly Hill leans on a wooden railing, gazing thoughtfully into the distance with her hands clasped, surrounded by blurred green foliage.

Julia Butterfly Hill

American activist