What We Do
Our Philosophy
Community Conservation strives to establish community-based conservation programs with a strong emphasis on voluntary local participation and respect for rural people as being the best stewards of their lands.

Our goal is to empower local communities to manage their lands with minimal outside interference. Our programs work toward leaving a local group in charge of managing and perpetuating the newly formed community conservation program.
Our History

Community Conservation Inc., based in Gays Mills, Wisconsin, originated in 1989, and operates as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Community Conservation was formed to provide support to experimental grassroots conservation efforts in Belize, but has expanded our work to projects from Wisconsin to New Guinea.

The Community Conservation Approach

We recognized that the needs of each community and its bioregion are unique and that community-based conservation therefore demands creative approaches to each individual situation. We address specific program needs through integration of four main divisions:
  • Conservation and Resource Management
  • Ecotourism and Sustainable Development
  • Research and Education
  • Publications




    We link scientists and professionals directly with communities to provide support and training in crucial areas. Together, local people and Community Conservation professionals solve problems and develop programs appropriate to the community. Community Conservation provides communities with the tools to manage, monitor, and benefit from their own resources while shaping flexible programs with greater likelihood of achieving long-term success.







What Community Conservation Provides

We provide support and facilitate involvement of local people in the following areas:


The basic tenets of community conservation pioneered by Community Conservation are being employed by a growing number of communities around the world.

To learn more about our successful programs in action, visit our Conservation Projects page.