Match Expires at Midnight 
Close
## interstitialRedirectModalTitle
interstitialRedirectModalMessage
interstitialRedirectModalDismissCTA
×
Language:
English
!
  + 
    - 
* English
  + Go Back
  + - 
Search
# Nature Can Help Tackle Climate Change
Natural climate solutions for North America
 Klamath River
Fishing guide and Yurok tribal member, Pergish Carlson, stands atop a tree trunk and looks at the forests around the Klamath River in northern California.
© Kevin Arnold
Share
## We cannot address climate change without nature.
Across North America, healthy landscapes and seascapes reduce carbon emissions and increase carbon storage. That is why TNC works to scale and implement natural climate solutions in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
Combined with cutting emissions and accelerating renewable energy, these actions to protect, better manage and restore nature offer immediate and cost-effective ways to tackle the climate crisis—while also addressing the loss of plant and animal species and supporting human health and livelihoods.
**natural climate solutions (:39)**
Combined with cutting fossil fuels, natural climate solutions offer immediate and cost-effective ways to tackle the climate crisis—while also supporting healthy, thriving communities and ecosystems.
## How natural climate solutions work
See how these solutions are tackling climate change.
### What are natural climate solutions?
Natural climate solutions include practices like improving forest management to help forest owners increase the carbon stored in their trees; reducing fertilizer use for fewer greenhouse gas emissions; and restoring coastal wetlands to sequester carbon in submerged soil.
## Natural climate solutions benefit nature
Globally, natural climate solutions could deliver up to a third of the emission reductions needed by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change
* !
  ### 290M
  More than 290 million acres of forest land is owned by families in the U.S.
  ### 48.1 Mt
  More than 48.1 megatonnes of carbon dioxide could be mitigated annually by implementing natural climate solutions on agricultural lands in Canada.
  ### 94%
  More than 94% of Americans support protecting, managing and restoring forests, grasslands and wetlands so they can store more carbon and fight climate change.
## How we advance natural climate solutions in North America
We help people who own or manage land implement natural climate solutions. We also advocate for government policies and funding, do scientific research and work with coalitions to expand natural climate solutions.
  [### Family Forest Carbon Program
  This program helps landowners implement forest management practices scientifically proven to enhance carbon sequestration and improve forest health.
  See how FFCP benefits nature
  [### Expanding Policies
  Advancing policies that support natural climate solutions will allow farmers, ranchers and landowners to address climate change and conserve their way of life.
  See how we deliver on Policy
  [### Climate Action in Canada
  A TNC study highlights pathways that have the potential to cut Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equal to 11% of their current annual emissions.
  Learn more about NCS in Canada
  [### U.S. Nature4Climate
  A coalition of conservation groups (including TNC) and businesses are ensuring forests, farms and wetlands are part of the strategy to combat climate change.
  Visit U.S. Nature4Climate
### Sign up to receive TNC updates and news
Learn more about what we are doing to advance natural climate solutions.
Please do not use this field.
If you enter anything into this text box your
request will not be processed. Thank you.
State/Province
Select state or province
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Dakota
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Vermont
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Wyoming
American Samoa
Federated States of Micronesia
Guam
Marshall Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
Palau
Virgin Islands
Armed Forces Americas
Armed Forces Europe
Armed Forces Pacific
Your Email Address
Please provide a valid email address
You’ve already signed up with this email address. To review your email preferences, please visit 
We may have detected a typo.
Please enter a valid email address (formatted as name@company.com).
Did you mean to type
?
We are sorry, but there was a problem processing the reCAPTCHA response. Please contact us at webmaster@tnc.org or try again later.
Sign Up
Explore More
## Mitigating Climate Change
Learn how TNC is expanding clean energy and implementing natural climate solutions in North America.
Maumee Bay Coastal Wetland
H2Ohio wetland restoration at Maumee Bay.
© Ashlee Decker
## How natural climate solutions are benefitting people and the planet
Natural climate solutions, such as restoring wetlands, protecting forests and increasing regenerative agriculture are delivering big wins for the climate. Here are some examples of the projects, people and communities embracing these solutions.
Previous
### Can Blue Carbon Be a Climate Solution in Texas?
Why protecting and restoring wetlands can slow climate change and protect vulnerable coastlines.
### Emerald Edge
The Nature Conservancy is supporting conservation across 100 million acres from Alaska, through British Columbia, and to Washington.
### Chasing the Shade: Expanding Philadelphia’s Urban Tree Canopy
With a lack of trees and green spaces, South Philadelphia is one of the hottest neighborhoods in the city. $12 million from the Inflation Reduction Act aims to equitably expand its urban tree canopy.
### Harvesting Hope: Resurrection of the Longleaf Pine
In 2004, Hurricane Ivan devastated Dr. Salem Saloom's tree farm in Alabama. He turned to the Farm Bill to help restore the land with native and more storm-resilient longleaf pines.
### Markets for Floodplain Reforestation
Flooding has always been a fact of life along the Mississippi and its tributaries. But those floods are becoming bigger, more frequent and more damaging.
### Restoring Soil Health: Ryan Hough
Hough's decision to pursue no-till farming and to plant cover crops was primarily motivated by financial considerations but notes the environmental benefits are a wonderful side-effect.
### Bringing the Marsh Back Home
A living shoreline project in Louisiana promises to revive Lake Pontchartrain's missing marshes, with help from the Inflation Reduction Act and other federal funding.
Next
## Site Footer
### 
### Sign Up for E-News
Email:
Please do not use this field. If you enter anything
into this text box your request will not be processed.
Thank you.
Please provide valid email address
Get text updates from The Nature Conservancy:
Please provide valid mobile number
### Social
### Global Sites
Hong Kong (China):
Indonesia:
Mongolia:
The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Global sites represent either regional branches of The Nature Conservancy or local affiliates of The Nature Conservancy that are separate entities. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google  and  apply.
© 2025 The Nature Conservancy
 |
Back To Top
# Protecting Ocean, Land and Fresh Water
 Land, Ocean, Fresh Water
Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Chile
© MARCELO HAYASHIDA/TNC Photo Contest 2019
## We’re facing two existential crises: climate change and rapid biodiversity loss. Reversing these crises requires protecting and sustainably managing our ocean, land and fresh water.
## Global Insights
Check out the latest perspectives, research and tools that inform how we protect land and waters and approach environmental challenges.
Setting up camp
Photo Contest 2018
Caption: Campers in the top crater of Mt. Herdubreid, Iceland.
Photo Credit: © Sigtryggur Johannsson/TNC Photo Contest 2018
Photographer’s Statement: "Setting up camp." Camping in top crater of Mt. Herdubreid in Iceland. Taken in summer 2017 on a climb up this unique mountain. The presence of the tent is meant to illustrate the accessibility of remote locations with modern, light-weight hiking equipment.
© © Sigtryggur Johannsson
Sunset Hill
Pastoralists see a storm on the horizon at Sunset Hill in northern Tanzania.
©
Roshni Lodhia
Report
## People Are Key to Success
Conservation is a legacy we build together. 2023 was a year of progress and people taking action around the world.
Partnerships
## Enduring Earth
Enduring Earth is an ambitious collaboration that works alongside nations as they accelerate and amplify conservation for a more sustainable, prosperous future for people and planet.
Program Overview
## Nature Bonds Program: Unlocking Funds for Conservation and Climate Action
TNC’s Nature Bonds Program combines debt refinancing, science, planning and policy to help countries protect ecosystems and support communities.
## Why we’re committing to 30x30: Protect 30% of land & water by 2030
Our future depends on protecting 30% of the planet’s oceans, lands, and freshwaters by 2030 in the biggest conservation commitment the world has ever seen.
No-fishing zone on Lake Oguemo
The Association along with the help of OELO have decided to create a no-take fishing zone to protect the fish in the area.
© Roshni Lodhia
## Bold Pathways to 2030
It’s amazing what a year can bring: a global framework for nature and an inspiring array of projects and initiatives. Check out the 2022 Protect annual report.
Video
## What is Biodiversity?
What if all the variety on the planet disappeared? It could happen. Extinctions are happening faster than ever. We must prioritize biodiversity to protect the health of our environment, food supply and economies. (3:05)
Watch Video
Blog
## We Must Save Fresh Water to Save Ourselves
The Nature Conservancy joins others in pressing for urgent stewardship of our world's precious fresh water.
## The science is clear. We must radically scale up our protection efforts around the world. It’s now or never. Our best hope for a healthy and resilient planet is to protect at least 30% of lands, fresh water and ocean by 2030.
## Protecting 30% by 2030
More than 100 nations support this goal. For greatest success, we must protect places that are:
  ###
  Representative of the diversity of life on Earth
  Effectively managed
  Durably financed
  Inclusive of and equitably benefiting stakeholders and rightsholders
## By 2030, TNC aims to conserve:
  ### 650M
  650 million hectares (1.6 billion acres) of healthy land
  ### 1M
  1 million kilometers (621,000 miles) of river
  ### 30M
  30 million hectares (74 million acres) of lakes and wetlands
  ### 4B
  4 billion hectares (9.9 billion acres) of ocean
Feature
## Inspiring the World Through Action in Gabon
Determined to protect 30 percent of its terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, Gabon is emerging as a conservation leader.
## How we take action on ocean, land and freshwater conservation
TNC is catalyzing a full range of ocean, land and freshwater protection efforts with conservation finance, science and policy work. We are at the forefront with our partners in delivering at-scale protections and the necessary financing. We are deeply committed to supporting the ambitions and rights of  and the contributions their voices, choices and actions make to conserving the diversity of life on Earth.
Some of our most innovative strategies include , and collaborating with other non-profits to accelerate Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) mechanisms through . This work strengthens nature’s ability to save biodiversity and ourselves.
## Featured Stories
### The Imperative for Durable Freshwater Protection
Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most threatened on Earth—here’s how we change that.
By Jeffrey Parrish
### We Must Save Fresh Water to Save Ourselves
By Nicole Silk
### The Survival Secrets of “Super Reefs”
As the world's coral reefs rapidly decline, experts from The Nature Conservancy, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Stanford University race to protect the most resilient of them.
By Sarah Wakefield Adhya
### How Belize is Transforming the Caribbean
Belize just committed to protecting 30 percent of its ocean territory, with the support of the world’s largest debt conversion for marine conservation to date.