Coalitions & Collaboratives

WE STRIVE every day to be an impactful collaborative conservation organization providing capacity-building support to place-based organizations throughout North America, resulting in safe, healthy, and resilient ecosystems and communities through funding, mentorship, and training.

WE VALUE

Collaboration We believe in working together. No single individual, business, organization, or government can fix the difficulties facing our planet and its people, but by working together we can drive positive change for people and the planet. This includes as much open access to resources and information sharing as possible.

Nature and Communities We care about the planet and people, not one or the other. Community values and economic sustainability are pillars of our approach. People and communities are inextricably dependent upon ecosystem services and thus vulnerable to ecosystem breakdowns and natural disasters. 

Local Empowerment We believe in the value of local and traditional social and ecological knowledge and listening to the needs of a community. We prioritize the “doers,” those who complete work on the ground.

Enduring Conservation Outcomes We are compelled to protect the health of our water, air, and land, and to sustain the diverse ecosystems that comprise the earth. 

Fact-based and Adaptable We draw upon and contribute to the best available science working towards solution-orientedaction through evidence-based decision-making and adaptive management. We learn from our communal past experiences, learning as much from less successful projects as from our most successful.

Equity and Inclusivity We appreciate and leverage our differences, and we involve and strive to reflect the communities we serve. COCO seeks to include all people, especially historically marginalized groups, in the conservation community, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or socioeconomic status. Likewise, we strive to bring the benefits of conservation to people who live in all geographies — rural, urban and suburban.

Nonpartisan COCO’s allegiance is to its mission, and we seek out people from across ideological and partisan divides to help us build resilient communities and ecosystems.

OUR TEAM