Criticism
Conservation International has been chastised for poor judgment in expenditure of donors' money. A 2008 article in The Nation pointed out that the organization had attracted $6 million for marine conservation in Papua New Guinea, but the funds were used for "little more than plush offices and first class travel."
In recent years, CI has also come under increasing scrutiny around its corporate partnerships -– particularly around its practice of accepting financial support for its work. Critics say such deals are unseemly because nonprofit groups taking cash from big companies are unlikely to push their donors to achieve meaningful environmental change. CI’s response is that its corporate financial support is communicated transparently, directed toward core conservation programs, and linked to high expectations for the sustainability performance of its corporate partners—and, therefore, does not compromise the organization's integrity, independence and effectiveness.
In 2011, Conservation International was targeted by a group of reporters from Don't Panic TV who posed as a major American arms company and asked if the charity could "raise green profile." Options outlined by the representative of Conservation International (CI) included assisting with the arms company's green PR efforts, membership of a business forum in return for a fee, and sponsorship packages where the arms company could potentially invest money in return for being associated with conservation activities. Conservation International agreed to help the arms company find an "endangered species mascot." Film footage shows the Conservation International employee suggesting a vulture North African birds of prey as a possible endangered species mascot for the arms company because of the "link to aviation." CI contends that these recordings were heavily edited to remove elements that would have cast CI in a more favorable light, while using other parts of the video out of context to paint a highly inaccurate and incomplete picture of CI’s work with the private sector.
Read more about this topic: Conservation International
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