Conservation Trust

About the Program

The Conservation Trust supports both efforts in the field and public-education campaigns that inform individuals about global issues, connect conservation issues to daily life, and enable people to take action.

Program Background

By the end of the last century, the National Geographic Society's Committee for Research and Exploration had distributed more than 170 million dollars in research grants worldwide. But as the new century dawned, National Geographic recognized the need for a new kind of grant program, one with a special emphasis on conservation.

In March of 2001, the Conservation Trust gave its first grant—to botanist Nalini Nadkarni for her unique, outreach-oriented forest canopy studies. Many more grants have followed, with the trust supporting the work of numerous pioneering conservationists.

Selected Grantees

Laurence Frank: Living among the lions of Kenya, Frank directs efforts to manage both predators and livestock to preserve predator populations in Africa.

Zeb Hogan: In Cambodia, Hogan is working on sustainability programs and preservation of the endangered Mekong catfish, one of the largest freshwater fish in the world.

Guy Parker: To prevent conflicts between Zimbabwean farmers and elephants, Parker is trying to establish movement corridors for the elephants.

Selected Projects and Awards

World Cultures Fund: This fund supports the work of archaeologists, cultural anthropologists, artists, and other professionals wherever the history of civilizations is at risk. In addition to antiquities conservation, the World Cultures Fund will support a wide array of initiatives, including expeditions to reveal and share the unique stories of people around the globe. Other projects will include conservation of records of the past and celebration of enduring cultures through film, music, and other media.

Buffett Award: The $25,000 National Geographic Society/Buffett Awards for Leadership in African Conservation and Leadership in Latin American Conservation were established through a gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. National Geographic presents them annually in recognition of outstanding work and lifetime contributions that further the understanding and practice of conservation in southern and East Africa.