Newsflash: The U.S. government provides more money for international conservation than any other country in the world. By partnering with U.S. leaders to help prioritize that assistance, we can seriously catalyze conservation.

We work to rev up U.S. government involvement in international conservation though our Center for Conservation and Government (CCG). Through CCG, we help leaders on Capitol Hill build diverse coalitions and educate other politicians. We make clear the links between conservation investments and U.S. foreign policy concerns – whether enhanced security, economic development, poverty reduction, or public health. We consistently support funding increases for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been working with local communities to better manage their natural resources for more than 20 years.

In 2003, CCG helped establish the bipartisan International Conservation Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. A complementary Senate caucus followed two years later. Members of the caucus have since led efforts to pass the Congo Basin Forest Partnership Act, secure resources for the Global Environment Facility, reauthorize the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, and incorporate forest conservation into reconstruction plans for Liberia.

That’s what we mean by a catalyst.

Today, there’s a more urgent need than ever to spark change. Layered on top of the other threats to our planet is the threat of climate change. The world desperately needs responsible policies intended to encourage alternative sources of energy and prevent the continued destruction of forests.

The U.S. government is in a unique and powerful position to help.

Learn more about conservation and government.