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

Proud parents Stephen Whyte, 35, and Lauren Evans, 27, from Powys, said they wanted to honour the conservationist in their own way.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

A conservationist, Turner owned and operated 13 ranches that were home to roughly 45,000 bison, Turner Enterprises said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

The high-profile media tycoon was also a sailor, a conservationist who was one of the largest U.S. landowners, and a major philanthropist who helped set a model for generous giving by billionaires.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

"Revoking permits is not immediately a win," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, a conservationist and orangutan specialist.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Akeley hailed from a prominent and adventurous family in upstate New York: his brother was the noted explorer and conservationist Carl Akeley.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Even if the boundaries can sometimes feel flexible, conservationists emphasize that the islands’ broader system of protections helps preserve the Galápagos’ biodiversity and the wildlife encounters that draw around 200,000 visitors annually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Imperial Beach couple Mike and Patricia McCoy have inspired generations of coastal conservationists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

The return of the wolf in California has been met with joy by conservationists, who delight in the improbable population rebound, and with fury by ranchers who bemoan the toll on their cattle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

British conservationists have travelled to a French military base to bring a long-lost singing insect back to the UK.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

In the nineteenth century, bison were extinguished from the prairie, but in recent years they have been reintroduced by conservationists.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Related Words

• environmentalist