Zachary Wells
Zachary Wells is Managing Director of Conservation International's Conservation Stewards Program, where he leads the organization's work to build local economies based on the protection of nature. This means supporting local communities as they steward their land and growing businesses that turn conservation into income. His works aligns biodiversity conservation with robust local livelihoods, strong governance, enduring finance and sustainable economic development.
Zach has led conservation initiatives across nearly 30 countries in Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. He has supported the creation of thousands of conservation agreements with more than 150,000 local stewards, contributing to the protection and sustainable management of nearly six million hectares of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. His work has helped shape Conservation International's Bioeconomy Strategy and multi-country initiatives including the Conservation Agreements Private Partnership Platform and Pro-Nature Enterprises Program, while advancing innovative approaches that link stewardship systems with conservation finance, payment for ecosystem services, and long-term landscape governance.
Prior to leading the Conservation Stewards Program, Zach held leadership and technical roles with Conservation International's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business and Conservation Finance Division, where he contributed to the Global Conservation Fund and advanced conservation trust funds and finance mechanisms for durable conservation. His career has included extensive work in Papua New Guinea, Zambia and across Latin America, where he has partnered with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, governments and the private sector to develop conservation economies that create lasting benefits for both people and nature.
Zach holds a B.S. in Biology from West Virginia University and an M.A. in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, with a focus on Natural Resource Economics and community-led conservation.
Languages: English (native); Spanish (advanced professional); Tok Pisin and Kiikaonde (conversational), Mandarin (beginner).