This article examines the anti-Black and anti-Indigenous roots of American environmentalism, and the ways that these attitudes and ideas have influenced, and continue to influence, global conservation practices. Most notably, the article examines the ways that these ideas are embedded in longstanding prejudices against local communities and a focus on protecting pristine wildernesses. This dominant narrative pays little thought to Indigenous Peoples and local communities who rely on these lands – even when they are its most effective stewards.