conservationist

American  

[kon-ser-vey-shuh-nist] / ˌkɒn sərˈveɪ ʃə nɪst /

noun

• conservationists
  plural

1. a person who advocates or promotes conservation, especially of natural resources.

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conservationist British  

/ ˌkɒnsəˈveɪʃənɪst /

noun

1. a person who advocates or strongly promotes preservation and careful management of natural resources and of the environment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticonservationist
  noun
• proconservationist
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conservationists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conservationist

First recorded in 1865–70; conservation + -ist

Compare meaning

How does conservationist compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• conservationist vs. environmentalist

Explanation

A conservationist is someone who protects animals, plants, or their habitats. Some conservationists clean seabirds after oil spills in the ocean, while others are teachers who educate students about environmental issues. If you care about preserving wildlife and the environment, you might want to be a conservationist. As a job, this can mean working as a wildlife biologist, an environmental political lobbyist, a forestry technician, or a park ranger — all professions that involve the care and protection of land, waters, and animals. You're also a conservationist if you volunteer at a local wildlife rehabilitation center or regularly call your state representatives to encourage their votes on environmental legislation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

conservationist conservationists

"Beguiled by their cuteness," conservationist Ian Hughes has made it his "life-defining" mission to protect the threatened mollusc, which was once widespread in UK waters.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

In 2010, Berry was awarded the National Humanities Medal by then-President Obama for his achievements as a poet, novelist, farmer and conservationist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Weeks passed before a partner organisation in Lebanon contacted the Serbian conservationist and said Feliks' unnamed captors had demanded a ransom.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

"Bill was a multi-talented celebrity -- wildlife presenter, broadcaster, comedian, writer, songwriter, musician and conservationist," his agent David Foster said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

In 1947 the conservationist Aldo Leopold dedicated a monument to the pigeon near the site of its greatest recorded nesting, at which hunters slaughtered 1.5 million birds.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

The finding could help conservationists improve efforts to restore declining crocodile populations.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

Puffin numbers in one of the UK's largest colonies have suffered after a drop in food supplies and extreme weather conditions, conservationists have warned.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

That could allow conservationists and law enforcement agencies to work backward from illegally traded material to the populations being targeted.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 26, 2026

But the certificate has raised alarm among conservationists, with the Confederation of Namibian Fishing Associations reportedly threatening to challenge its validity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

On the one hand conservationists and many wildlife biologists assert that the losses have been severe and in some cases even catastrophic.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• environmentalist