World's Largest Environmental Group Urged to Reform

"The Conservancy, the world's largest environmental group, created the panel last year, after articles in The Washington Post described controversial practices at the organization. The Conservancy also immediately after the articles were published in early May banned many of the practices, saying it would no longer lend money to corporate insiders, sell land to its trustees or drill for oil on nature preserve land.

In the final report distributed to Conservancy board members this week, the panel did not dwell on past practices at the Conservancy, choosing instead to focus on setting new standards to increase efficiency and safeguard the charity's reputation."