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Enduring Earth is championing innovative and inclusive conservation strategies based on a proven approach called Project Finance for Permanence, which brings together Indigenous peoples and local communities, governments, philanthropists, public funders and nonprofits to fully fund conservation in perpetuity.

Enduring Earth TNC joins a new collaboration to protect nature, work with local communities and sustain human well-being at a large scale.

In recent years, members of Indigenous tribes in Maine, conservation groups and land management agencies have come together in an initiative known as First Light to build relationships and work toward the return and sharing of land.

Working with partners, The Nature Conservancy negotiated the purchase of the land and provided funds for the Passamaquoddy to buy it back.

the government’s vision to protect of its land, ocean and fresh water by 2030 as the country transitions away from oil to a forest-based economy.

This project could add new protected areas and improve management on existing spaces to conserve nearly as well as improve opportunities and resource rights for 10 million people.

ER Partnering with Indigenous peoples and other communities to learn from and support their leadership in stewarding the environment, securing rights to resources, improving economic opportunities and shaping their future.

In both Kenya and Papua New Guinea, The Nature Conservancy can share examples of how women’s groups are learning about the value of mangrove forests surrounding their coastal towns and villages and then coming together to safeguard them.

Mangroves are supertrees: They buffer against storms, prevent coastal erosion and absorb about four times more carbon than their terrestrial counterparts, making them an especially important natural climate solution.

Many reef fishes, sharks and economically valuable species like crab begin their early lives in mangrove ecosystems.

Yet globally, mangroves face threats—such as timber cutting, pollution and coastal building projects—that clear out entire forests.

and the partners helping them sustain these life-giving forests.

In Papua New Guinea, TNC and Mangoro Market Meri, or “Mangroves, Women and Markets,” have built support for sustainable harvests of shellfish, new local businesses and exploring new opportunities in climate mitigation.

Across the world in Kenya, the members of the Mtangawanda Women’s Association plant and restore mangrove forests with technical support from TNC and partners in Kenya.

—DUSTIN SOLBERG Every year, farmers at work under Nicaragua’s tropical sky watch for the promise of abundant rains in the month of May.

But if the rains are late or fail altogether, drought compounds the pressures of the dry season, diminishing harvests and milk production on family dairy farms.

In response, The Nature Conservancy teamed up with LALA Group, the region’s largest dairy company, to make farms more sustainable by providing farmers with technical and financial assistance to transform typical small-plot grass pastures with plantings of diverse shrubs and trees.

The mix offers shade, restores water sources, locks in soil nutrients, supports biodiversity and ensures a longer grazing season.

—DUSTIN SOLBERG Growing Healthy Pasturelands in Nicaragua Working with farmers to plant trees transforms grazing and boosts earnings.

Supertrees: Women in coastal communities in Kenya are successfully protecting and restoring mangrove forests.

It really can’t be done, because there is no separation between people and nature.

Yet in the conservation movement, an impassioned pursuit to create balance in how we live with the world around us, people have often missed this simple fact.

Conservation— which, let’s not forget, was invented by people—has often seemed willfully blind to the role people play.

In fact, efforts to protect nature have excluded many of these communities through racial, economic and other barriers.

As The Nature Conservancy takes on urgent work with and for, and how we work across cultures and power differences, across lands and waters, is going to matter.

We are learning to respect the idea that people should get to define the impact that conservation is having on their lives.

Intrigued, he applied to the GulfCorps program, a Nature Conservancy-NOAA partnership with funding from the RESTORE Council.

GulfCorps was recruiting young people willing to swing an ax, plant native trees and build new oyster reefs—all to help the U.S. Gulf Coast recover from the approximately 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

of 280 GulfCorps alumni who have moved on to new careers in the environmental field.

TNC’s GulfCorps director, Jeff DeQuattro, says the crews are there to restore nature while preparing for their own futures through mentors and real-life lessons, like how to ace a job interview.

Training for Life: For GulfCorps alumni like Micheal Taylor, setting out to work in the field has led to discovering an environmental career.

Impassioned Pursuit: We need to erase the line separating those who benefit from conservation and those who don’t, says Meera Bhat, TNC’s director for equitable conservation.

says conservation needs to welcome those who have been excluded.

We dedicated significant energy to enabling our staff, supporters and conservation partners to engage virtually, and to providing new tools, equipment and business processes to staff, allowing them to safely, securely and effectively conduct business remotely.

Second, we completed the articulation of our Goals—a long-term vision for the ambitious but essential work we must do over the next decade to protect biodiversity and reduce the impacts of climate change in collaboration with partners around the globe.

We focused our efforts and resources on accelerating our conservation plans, enabled by leading-edge financial, information technology, and investment management tools and strategies.

Letter From the Chief Finance and Administrative Officer Financial Overview for Fiscal Year In total, financial results achieved during the last year outperformed our initial expectations and, as such, allowed for an increase in spending on conservation activities, despite prudent budgetary contractions planned in response to the pandemic.

The increase in conservation activities was offset by a somewhat smaller amount of spending on conservation land purchases, which varies from year to year.

We are, as always, grateful to our donors, collaborators and supporters for their partnership in protecting nature’s biodiversity and strengthening its resilience in the face of a changing climate during this critical decade for the planet.

left a legacy for nature by remembering The Nature Conservancy in their estate plans.

This extraordinary support ensures that TNC can continue to innovate as we work toward our ambitious goals to create a future where nature and people thrive around the globe.

We took hit after hit from ever more intense wildfires, storms, f loods, and drought, but we also welcomed a renewed focus on slowing climate change—by the White House as well as several states.

We’ve pushed for the urgent, ambitious action that is so clearly needed on climate change—ranging from dramatic cuts in carbon emissions from all sectors of the economy to adaptive measures that will protect outdoor workers from extreme heat.

This pressure led to a highlevel meeting between White House officials and UCS staff, who offered suggestions on how the administration’s official position on nuclear weapons could make the world safer. CLIMATE CHANGE UCS engaged sign a letter calling on the United States to set a strong target for reducing its carbon emissions under the Paris climate agreement: at least 50 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.

The admin- istration had sought to gut public health and safety protections by establishing rules at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of the Interior forcing such protections to be based only on studies whose authors are willing to hand over their raw data—knowing full well this would exclude studies that keep participants’ personal details private.

UCS research and analysis is playing a central role in the growing movement by dozens of cities, counties, and states to hold fossil fuel companies liable for the climate-related damages their products have caused, and for deceiving the public about it.

Among the new lawsuits filed in of Annapolis, Maryland (which is threatened by sea level rise), alleges that more than two dozen fossil fuel companies including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell intentionally misled their shareholders, policymakers, and the general public about climate science.

The past year also included encouraging signs that our accountability work is making headway in forcing fossil fuel companies to change their business models: a shareholder revolt against ExxonMobil ousted three directors and demanded improved disclosure of the company’s climate-related lobbying, Chevron and ConocoPhillips shareholders called for emissions reductions consistent with the Paris climate agreement, and a court in the Netherlands (informed by UCS analysis) ordered Shell to reduce its carbon emissions—the first time ever a company has been required to do so.

NUCLEAR POWER Developers of new types of nuclear reactors that rely on materials other than water for cooling contend that their technologies will be cheaper, safer, and more secure than current reactors.

They also maintain that these “advanced” reactors will burn uranium fuel more efficiently, produce less radioactive waste, reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation, and could be up and running by the end of this decade.

Even as government officials continued to prioritize battling the pandemic in pattern of extreme weather events worsened by climate change—drought, wildfires, hurricanes, and floods—proved impossible to ignore.

This devastating collision of social, economic, and environmental injustices, which has always existed but was made more evident by COVIDsolutions.

In response, UCS collaborated with community partners and experts to conduct a first-of-its-kind study designed to help decisionmakers see clean energy policies through a social justice lens.

A Transformative Climate Action Framework: Putting People at the Center of Our Nation’s Clean Energy Transition will guide our strategy and analysis going forward.

In another effort to support communities, UCS and several of our environmental justice partners launched a resource-sharing platform called the Science and Community Action Network (SciCAN).

WEST COAST UCS also collaborated with underserved communities on an analysis of climate-related threats to air quality and water supplies in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Our trademark combination of science and advocacy proved particularly important in the Golden State when the California Air Resources Board responded to our establishing a first-of-its kind restriction on companies including Lyft and Uber: by 2030, 90 percent of the miles driven by these companies’ fleets must produce no carbon emissions.

In the Pacific Northwest, Washington State took a significant step toward reducing its vehicle emissions when it passed a bill establishing a clean fuel standard for the state—a victory that capped seven years of work by UCS.

Following the adoption of similar standards in Oregon and California (where UCS also played a key role), this trend builds momentum for clean fuel policies at the federal level.

UCS also called for climate action in Oregon, and as the state struggled with historically high temperatures, its governor signed one of the country’s most ambitious clean energy bills—requiring of Oregon’s electricity to be carbonfree by 2040.

We successfully pushed for provisions that will provide low-income households, disadvantaged communities, and other underserved markets with low-interest financing for clean energy projects, and that require the state’s public utilities commission to incorporate climate impacts and solutions into its decisionmaking while taking issues of equity into account.

After more than two years of UCS work with community leaders and state lawmakers, Massachusetts passed legislation with strong emissions reduction targets and complementary clean energy policies.

The law commits the state to reaching net-zero emissions by clear sector-specific targets for 2030 and 2040, and addresses longstanding socioeconomic inequities. MIDWEST UCS efforts in the Midwest yielded several major victories last year.

First, Illinois passed sweeping clean energy legislation that requires a carbon-free power sector by 2045— and prioritizes reducing pollution in historically marginalized communities.

The new law also focuses on workforce development programs and policies that will ensure workers and communities are not left behind when their coal mines and nuclear or fossil fuel–fired power plants close as a result of the transition to clean energy.

In addition, Minnesota’s largest utility, Xcel Energy, announced it was canceling plans to construct an gas-burning power plant while moving forward with the retirement of its coal-burning plants.

IMPACTS ON WORKERS UCS partnered with the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) on an analysis that estimates the costs of setting coal miners and coal plant workers on a new career path.

We found that temporary financial assistance and job training would cost between $$83 billion over 15 years, depending on how quickly we transition to clean energy—a fraction of the total $4 trillion to $6 trillion price tag for reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

In September, the Biden administration responded, announcing a “coordinated, interagency effort” to counter the threat of extreme heat, including a Department of Labor initiative to protect workers. Big Ag’s practices lead to soil erosion, water pollution, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of opportunity in rural communities.

This degree of power makes it difficult to hold the company accountable for serious harms.

For example, despite multiple lawsuits accusing the company of fixing prices and depressing wages, and the fact that it is responsible for chicken waste every year that pollutes Arkansas communities, the company continues to avoid responsibility.

By documenting this concentration of power in agriculture and its impact on people and the environment, UCS is working to safeguard the future for farmers, food workers, and consumers alike.

Snow Geese take to the air in Washington State’s Skagit Wildlife Area.

It was exciting to come to an organization where people care so deeply about conservation and share my passion for birds.

There’s also a pervasive sense of wonder, joy, hope, and optimism among Audubon staff and supporters that gives me inspiration as we address the challenges we face around climate change, biodiversity loss, and other issues.

For me, it’s about how birds serve as early-warning indicators of changes in our environment—from increasing temperatures to loss of habitat.

We’ve also had a wake-up call that has energized our work around equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging, and building a culture of workplace excellence.

They sparked my original interest in science and conservation and my subsequent focus on climate change.

In that sense, birds brought me to conservation.

Elizabeth Gray and her leadership team are laying the groundwork for Audubon’s next strategic plan, which will focus on three drivers of impactful conservation that have been identified as key to Audubon’s continued effectiveness and success.

Fund to the tune of $funds to address deferred maintenance projects at the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Indian Education schools.

At the tail end of Congress passed the landmark, bi partisan Energy Act of 2020— encompassing the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) Act, the Clean Industrial Technology Act, and a reauth orization of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy—which included provisions for everything from batteries, renewables, and energy efficiency to nuclear energy and carbon capture.

policy agenda at the local, state, and federal levels with on-the-ground conservation, and has delivered meaningful results.

Grassland birds are among the most threatened birds in North America, and Audubon is working to support them through our Conservation Ranching program.

Through Audubon’s Conservation Ranching program, we work with ranchers to develop and implement bird-friendly land management plans that protect and renew grassland habitats.

environmental initiatives, including new programs established in the Energy Act of 2020.

We will continue pushing lawmakers to take even bolder steps, such as the introduction of a national Clean Energy Standard.

Audubon is advancing Natural Climate Solutions as a science-based approach to help restore and maintain natural ecosystems.

As effective carbon stores, ecosystems like prairies and wetlands help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions—and provide safe habitats for birds to thrive.

Birds have already begun to return to the newly restored ecosystem after decades of construction.

The continued expansion of the Audubon Conservation Ranching program—including a groundbreaking new partnership with Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats— supports ranchers who manage their land in ways that benefit the ecosystem and birds.

In partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Great Lakes Commission, Audubon Great Lakes has launched a three-year initiative to restore more than wetlands in southeast Chicago, a historically underserved community that has been vulnerable to flooding.

The last time water was routed to this region, through the “pulse flow,” we saw a 20 percent increase in bird abundance and a 42 percent increase in species diversity.

the increased diversity in our leadership and Board.

We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth Gray, Audubon’s first female Acting Chief Executive Officer; Marshall Johnson, the first Black Acting Chief Conservation Officer in our history; and Jamaal Nelson, our new Chief Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer, who are sure to bring critical perspectives, informed by their lived experiences, to our conservation work.

Through a range of mutually reinforcing initiatives, we’re creating a pipeline from college to career to the C-suite for young people who have long been overlooked and otherwise not included in the conservation world.

Jamaal explains, “We offer conservation, climate, policy advocacy—all under one roof.

a range of nature-based opportunities, including bird walks, field trips, camping trips, and stewardship days.

Outside of leadership development, the values of EDIB are increasingly reflected in Audubon’s conservation and policy goals.

Together with Marin City Climate Resilience and Health Justice (formerly Shore Up Marin City), Audubon is partnering with a marginalized community to revitalize a wetland in a flood-prone lower-income part of otherwise affluent Marin County, California.