Founded at its grassroots in the United States in 1951, The Nature Conservancy is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive, working with more than 400 scientists and with projects in 79 countries across 6 continents.

The Mantiqueira Mountains project

Thanks to the contribution of the Swarovski Foundation, the Nature Conservancy is scaling up efforts to restore forests and land for private landowners across Mantiqueira. This will help sequester carbon emissions, ensure the Mantiqueira can provide ecosystem services such as freshwater, clean air and healthy soils, and help the region’s landscapes become sustainable, resilient and productive.

The project will create the enabling conditions to restore 1.2 million hectares of forest by 2030. By doing this, it will directly benefit 32 municipalities and indirectly benefit 20 million people with increased water security. With the support of the Swarovski Foundation, the project aims to benefit 35 municipalities in 3 Brazilian states—São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais—with a total estimated population of 350,000.

The Western Balkans project

Further to the project in Brazil, which has been supported by the Swarovski Foundation since 2018, the Foundation also supported a policy focused project using science-based tools to protect lands and safeguard the last free-flowing rivers in Europe. The Western Balkans are home to free-flowing rivers, crucial for biodiversity. Targeted for hydropower, over 2,000 dams are planned, which would forever change the ‘blue heart’ of Europe.

Thanks to the support of the Swarovski Foundation and other donors, 20 partnerships with key stakeholders were developed (across civil society, governments and finance institutions), scientific and policy studies were initiated and a new strategy on river protection was started.