The Top 10 Wildlife Conservation Organizations

Not everyone is concerned about endangered species and wants to help protect threatened wildlife. But some have the opportunity to get out in the field, get their boots muddy, and do something about it. Even if you're unwilling or unable to participate in hands-on conservation work, you can still contribute money to a conservation organization. Read on to find descriptions of and contact information for the world's most reputable wildlife conservation groups—one requirement for inclusion is that these organizations spend at least 80% of the money they raise on actual fieldwork rather than administration and fundraising.

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The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy works with local communities, businesses, and individuals to protect more than 125 million acres of land around the globe. The goal of this wildlife conservation organization is to preserve entire wildlife communities along with their rich species diversity, a holistic approach that's vital to the health of our planet. One of the Nature Conservancy's more innovative conservation approaches is debt-for-nature swaps, which maintain the biodiversity of economically developing countries in exchange for forgiveness of their debts.

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The World Wildlife Fund

The World Wildlife Fund works with multilateral and bilateral agencies to promote sustainable development in nearly 100 countries. Its aims are threefold—to protect natural ecosystems and wild populations, to minimize pollution, and to promote efficient, sustainable use of natural resources. The WWF focuses its efforts on multiple levels, starting with specific wildlife habitats and local communities and expanding to governments and global networks of non-government organizations. This organization's official mascot is the Giant Panda, the world's most famous near-extinct mammal.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council

The Natural Resources Defense Council is an environmental action organization consisting of more than 700 lawyers, scientists, and other professionals that commands a membership of more than 3 million people and online activists worldwide. The NRDC uses local laws, scientific research, and its wide network of members and activists to protect wildlife and habitats around the globe. Issues this wildlife organization focuses on include curbing global warming, encouraging clean energy, preserving wildlands and wetlands, restoring ocean habitats, stopping the spread of toxic chemicals, and working toward greener living in China.

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The Sierra Club

The Sierra Club, a grassroots conservation organization that works to protect ecological communities, encourage smart energy solutions, and create an enduring legacy for America's wildernesses, was co-founded by naturalist and conservationist John Muir in 1892. Its current initiatives include developing alternatives to fossil fuels, limiting greenhouse emissions, and protecting wildlife communities; it's also involved in issues like environmental justice, clean air and water, global population growth, toxic waste, and responsible trade. The Sierra Club supports vibrant chapters across the U.S. that encourage members to become involved in local conservation work.

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The Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society supports zoos and aquariums while promoting environmental education and conservation of wild populations and habitats. Its efforts are focused on a select group of flagship animals, including apes, big cats, elephants, whales, and sharks, in addition to other "global priority species." This wildlife conservation organization was established in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society, when its mission was, and still is, to promote wildlife protection, foster the study of zoology, and create a top-notch zoo. Today, there are five Wildlife Conservation Zoos, all in New York: the Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, the Queens Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium at Coney Island.

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Oceana

The largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to the world's oceans, Oceana works to shield fish, marine mammals, and other aquatic life from the deleterious effects of pollution and industrial fishing. This organization has launched a Responsible Fishing Campaign aimed at preventing overfishing, as well as individual initiatives to protect sharks and sea turtles, and it closely monitors the long-lasting effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on coastal habitats in the Gulf of Mexico. Unlike some other wildlife groups, this conservation organization only focuses on a select handful of campaigns at any given time, better enabling it to achieve specific, measurable outcomes.

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Conservation International

With its broad team of scientists and policy experts, Conservation International aims to help stabilize the global climate, protect the world's freshwater supply, and ensure overall human well-being in ecologically threatened areas, largely by working with indigenous peoples and various non-governmental organizations. One of this wildlife conservation organization's most impressive calling cards is its ongoing Biodiversity Hotspots project: identifying and protecting the ecosystems on our planet that exhibit the richest diversity of plant and animal life and the greatest susceptibility to human encroachment and destruction.

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The National Audubon Society

With its nearly 500 chapters across the U.S. and more than 2,500 "Important Bird Areas" (places where birds are especially threatened by human encroachment, ranging from New York's Jamaica Bay to Alaska's Arctic Slope), the National Audubon Society is one of America's premier organizations devoted to bird and wildlife conservation. The NAS enlists "citizen scientists" in its annual bird surveys, including the Christmas Bird Count and the Coastal Bird Survey, and encourages its members to lobby for effective conservation plans and policies. This organization's monthly publication, Audubon Magazine, is a great way to encourage your kids' environmental consciousness.

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The Jane Goodall Institute

The chimpanzees of Africa share 99% of their genome with human beings, which is why their brutal treatment at the hands of "civilization" is a cause for shame. The Jane Goodall Institute, founded by the famous naturalist, works to protect chimpanzees, great apes, and other primates (in Africa and elsewhere) by funding sanctuaries, fighting illegal trafficking, and educating the public. The JGI also encourages efforts to provide healthcare and free education for girls in African villages and promotes "sustainable livelihoods" in rural and backward areas via investment and community-managed micro-credit programs.

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The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

A bit like the British version of the National Audubon Society, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was founded in 1889 to oppose the use of exotic feathers in the fashion industry. The RSPB's aims were straightforward: to end the mindless destruction of birds, to promote the protection of birds, and to discourage people from wearing bird feathers. Today, RSPB protects and restores habitats for birds and other wildlife, conducts recovery projects, researches problems facing bird populations, and manages 200 nature reserves. Each year, the organization posts its Big Garden Birdwatch, a way for members to participate in a nationwide bird count.