{"id":173,"date":"2020-04-21T16:31:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T16:31:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/\/?page_id=173"},"modified":"2026-02-04T16:51:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:51:07","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharing hope; building capacity and community<\/p>\n<\/div>

Conservation Optimism supports, empowers and enables conservationists around the globe by sharing hope and building capacity and community.<\/p>\n

We believe that a healthy, (bio)diverse and resilient world is achievable. We understand that the challenge of conservation in the 21st century is great and complex, but we believe that challenge can be met.<\/p>\n

We understand that the language of crisis and emergency has a role in inspiring action, but, for those wanting to act, and for those already actively engaged, working constantly in such a context can be constraining and often overwhelming. We recognise the power of hope as a potent enabling force, and sometimes as a necessary guard against anxiety and despair.<\/p>\n

We are an international team working with a worldwide community of individuals and organisations to inspire and enable a global effort \u2013 towards a sustainable future in which everyone can thrive.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Who we are<\/p>\n<\/div>

We started in 2016 at the University of Oxford in the U.K. – founded by Professor Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland.<\/p>\n

We are a worldwide team of volunteers (at the moment) who all believe deeply in the vital mission.<\/p>\n

We are a global community of people and organisations who understand the need for hope and collaboration in global conservation.<\/p>\n

We are an inclusive movement of scientists, artists, businesses, NGOs and other motivated people, open to all.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Meet the team…<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

What we aim to do<\/p>\n<\/div>

    \n
  • Be optimistic but realistic<\/li>\n
  • Help challenge eco-anxiety, hopelessness and overwhelm<\/li>\n
  • Re-balance the discourse around conservation and what it can achieve<\/li>\n
  • Work across many disciplines and sectors in new and creative ways<\/li>\n
  • Build an inclusive, global community<\/li>\n
  • Amplify diverse voices and experiences<\/li>\n
  • Welcome everyone who wants to contribute<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
    <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    How we work<\/p>\n<\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Our Friends & Partners<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

    <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"coauthors":[247],"class_list":["post-173","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAbout - Conservation Optimism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/about\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About - Conservation Optimism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/about\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Conservation Optimism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/conservationoptimism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-04T16:51:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ConservOptimism\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"douglassdigital\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/about\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/conservationoptimism.org\/about\/\",\"name\":\"About - 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