64 (And Counting!) Conservationists You Should Be Following On Twitter Right Now

These days, social media is more important than ever for conservationists who are looking to get their message across and spread awareness for the problems that plague species. And some of them use it incredibly well, yielding massive clout and instantly informing the public about their challenges -- and their victories.

We've compiled some of the best conservationists (individuals, not organizations) and other conservation-minded people who use social media to advance their or others' research -- with the ultimate goal of saving the world's species. While there is some debate about exactly who qualifies as a "conservationist" in the strict sense of the word, for the purposes of this Twitter list we included scientists who work on conservation problems, communications managers who advocate for conservation, and outspoken supporters who spread the message of conversation around the globe.

(Note: we're bound to have left some out -- tweet @melissa_cronin with suggestions, and we'll add them to the list.)

You can follow the entire list by clicking here.

UPDATE: We've received an outpouring of other inspiring conservation tweeters, and have added them to this growing list!