Message from President Peggie James

Welcome to the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) Website. The SWCS is a nonprofit, multi-disciplinary, scientific, and educational organization that promotes the professional development needs of conservation professionals and science-based conservation practices, programs, and policies for the sustainable use of natural and working lands worldwide. Our mission is to foster the science and art of natural resource conservation. Our work targets the sustainable use of soil, water, and related natural resources on working land—the land used to produce food, fiber, and other ecosystem services that improve the quality of life for humans and other species. We strive to discover, develop, implement, and constantly improve land management practices that sustain the productive capacity of the land and enhance ecosystems services upon which all life depends.

The Society was founded in 1943 and currently serves more than 5,000 professional members from around the world. Members include researchers, administrators, planners, policymakers, technical advisors, teachers, students, farmers, ranchers, and other working conservationists. Our members come from nearly every academic discipline and many public, private, and nonprofit institutions. 

The Society promotes conservation at two levels. At the international level, the SWCS sponsors conferences, symposia, and workshops to educate our members and others about environmental issues and conservation science and practice. The Society also actively engages in applied research activities that provide policy- and decision- makers with un-biased scientific knowledge that can be utilized to improve natural resources management. At the state, provincial, and regional level, the SWCS also has more than 75 local Chapters that conduct professional development activities and promote conservation at the local level.