Our Mission
Restore islands for nature and people worldwide.
Our Vision
A world filled with vibrant biodiversity, resilient oceans,
and thriving island communities
Our Story
Island Conservation began in 1994 with two UC Santa Cruz grad students, Don Croll and Bernie Tershy.
While studying seabirds on Mexico’s islands, they saw the damage caused by invasive species. Determined to help, they removed these threats and saw an amazing recovery of the seabirds.
“Along the way, we began to understand more and more that our targeted approach creates a domino effect of unparalleled positive impacts.”
Heath Packard
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Over the past 30 years, we’ve expanded this work, witnessing the incredible ripple effects of island restoration. Biodiversity is the foundation of healthy ecosystems.
Restoring this allows communities to enjoy better food security, thriving coral reefs, lush native vegetation, and climate resilience. Today, our passion and determination to make a difference are as strong as ever.
DEI Principles and Values
We envision and strive to contribute to a world that is inclusive, interconnected, just, and sustainable, with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) fundamental to our mission.
We are committed to an ongoing DEI journey, acknowledging oppressive roots in conservation history, fostering justice, and removing barriers at all levels.
What do we do?
And, more importantly, why do we do it? We utilize the power of holistic island restoration to create maximum impact for nature and people worldwide.