About Conservation Strategy Fund

Mission, Vision, & Values

Mission

Conservation Strategy Fund uses economics to benefit people and nature. 

Vision

We envision a world where policy and human behavior incorporate the understanding that economic development and the conservation of our limited natural resources are possible together.

Values 

Integrity and Quality

We seek to uphold our mission and vision at all times. We are committed to operating ethically and responsibly, and maintaining the highest standards in all of our work. 

Collaboration and Cooperation

We know that the best way to achieve our mission and implement our vision is to work together, and that means listening to and learning from our partners and collaborators.

Diversity and Inclusion

We recognize that environmental justice cannot exist without social and racial justice. We seek to collaborate with a diverse network of people with respect to our shared values in building a more equitable future for all. 

Accountability and Transparency

We are bound by the belief that honesty is the foundation of credibility and trust. We seek to be accountable and transparent in all of our work and partnerships. 

About Us

Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) was founded in 1998 on the conviction that economics can play a critical role in transforming conservation efforts around the world. By revealing the true tradeoffs of development, demonstrating the inherent value of nature, and generating financially viable environmental solutions, CSF used economic tools and insights to identify and inform others of the best possible development outcomes. Since then, we have been working with governments, conservationists, funders, farmers, fishermen, and others to raise economic literacy worldwide and create a better understanding of how economics can improve decision-making. 

For the last 20 years, CSF has been a leading organization advancing conservation solutions to environmental challenges by building strategies that can be applied all over the world. Through our country offices, our teams provide strategic advice to our partners and stakeholders through economic analysis, capacity building, and technical assistance. Our on-the-ground teams then identify and catalyze solutions that advance conservation in their local communities, and that can be adopted to solve similar problems nationally and worldwide. 

Today, CSF has dedicated country teams in Bolivia, Brazil, Indonesia, and the United States, and are headquartered in Washington, DC. Our training programs have reached more than 5,000 people from 131 countries with 75 fellows across Latin America, Indonesia, and the Pacific. In addition, our analysis and training programs have influenced more than $21 billion in development investments, resulting in conservation of more than 50 million acres worldwide.

Read our Capability Statement to learn more about our areas of expertise and clientele

Our Work 

Analysis

We deliver robust, timely analysis that balances conservation and development outcomes.

Training 

We educate conservationists and decision makers on how to use economics to be more effective in their work. 

Communicating Results and Recommendations

In consultation with our partners and stakeholders, we help communicate results and recommendations to key decision makers and resource-users to achieve better conservation and development outcomes.

Theory of Change

CSF’s three-tiered approach combining economic analysis, training, and communicating results and recommendations is the cornerstone of our Theory of Change. Our Theory of Change starts by identifying, training, or partnering with leaders and change-makers to influence conservation initiatives in communities at the local level and more broadly nationally. By collaborating with professionals already working at the forefront of conservation and sustainability issues and equipping them with the right economic research, training, or technical assistance, we believe that we can increase economic literacy and create a global network of change-makers advancing solutions for people and nature.

For more information about CSF, read our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan.

CSF has a safeguarding policy. Read it here.