conservationist

American  

[kon-ser-vay-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

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Etymology

Origin of conservationist

First recorded in 1865–70; conservation + -ist

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Compare meaning

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

• conservationist vs. environmentalist

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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

Nick Dulvy, a professor and marine conservationist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, called it a “disaster” and said that biologically, the sharks are “the most sensitive species in the ocean to overfishing.”

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

A conservationist who purchased land and established a family estate and working farm called Ashbourne Farms, she died in 2011 at the age of 100.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Last year, she took home the top prize alongside Australian conservationist Robert Irwin; in 2014, she took home her first Mirrorball Trophy alongside actor Alfonso Ribeiro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Paula Kahumbu is a world-renowned conservationist who has worked with elephants for nearly 30 years.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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

But conservationists say that land exchanges have historically been used only to expand the boundaries of federal parkland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

The programme includes meetings with cricketing legends in Antigua and Barbuda, where the West Indies team is based, and meeting conservationists responsible for Guyana's rain forest.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The animals’ success has delighted conservationists but frustrated some cattle ranchers, whose livelihood can become dinner for the endangered canids.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

People should not have to travel far to experience the joys of nature, conservationists have said, as campaigners push for more wildlife-rich green spaces in urban areas.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

In the summer of 1960 conservationists from many states converged on a peaceful Maine island to witness its presentation to the National Audubon Society by its owner, Millicent Todd Bingham.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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Related Words

• environmentalist

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