NATIONS AGREE TO HISTORIC DEAL FOR NATURE
TO REVERSE EXTINCTION THREAT
Global Biodiversity Framework Set at COP15
Nations Adopt 4 Goals, 23 Targets for 2030 In Landmark UN Biodiversity Agreement.
Nations gathered to create a "Paris Agreement" for biodiversity. The Kunming-Montreal deal delivered a strong Global Biodiversity Framework to protect 30% of land and waters by 2030, an important step toward Half-Earth.
READ OUR STATEMENTPROGRAMS: THE HALF-EARTH PROJECT®
“Unless we move quickly to protect global biodiversity, we will soon lose most of the species composing life on Earth.” —E.O. Wilson (1929–2021).
Threats to the natural world are multiplying.
Species are going extinct at an alarming rate.
There’s a solution. It’s called the Half-Earth Project®, the signature program of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. If we conserve half the land and sea, we can still safeguard the bulk of our planet’s biodiversity.
But what would Half-Earth look like? How would we get there?
EXPLORE THE HALF-EARTH PROJECTSpecies are going extinct at an alarming rate.
There’s a solution. It’s called the Half-Earth Project®, the signature program of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. If we conserve half the land and sea, we can still safeguard the bulk of our planet’s biodiversity.
But what would Half-Earth look like? How would we get there?
NEWS
SCIENCE OF HALF-EARTH PROJECT
ADOPTED AT COP15
New biodiversity indicators will support decisions for species.
"Now we must turn quickly, to taking action with the best available science so decision makers can identify and protect the land and waters that will save global biodiversity."
As part of the historic Kunming-Montreal agreement at COP15 countries also formally adopted three indicators as means to deliver critical measurements and area-based decision-support to protect biodiversity.
Combining a range of biodiversity observations, remote sensing, and models, the indicators address key questions for each of tens of thousands of species and for each year starting in 2001.
LEARN MORECombining a range of biodiversity observations, remote sensing, and models, the indicators address key questions for each of tens of thousands of species and for each year starting in 2001.
SPECIES ON THE BRINK
Dr. Paula Ehrlich appears in Reuters report on biodiversity loss.
Extinction crisis puts 1 million species on the verge of disappearing
Reuters recently reported on the biodiversity extinction crisis. Dr. Paula Ehrlich, CEO and President, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation weighted in.
“Somewhere in the core of our humanity, we recognize these creatures, we’re touched by their story, and we feel compassion – and maybe also a moral compulsion – to help.”
LEARN MORE“Somewhere in the core of our humanity, we recognize these creatures, we’re touched by their story, and we feel compassion – and maybe also a moral compulsion – to help.”
URGENCY OF EXTINCTION CRISIS EXPLAINED
Dr. Paula Ehrlich appears on Sustainability Defined podcast.
Listen to Paula Ehrlich, CEO & President, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation discuss the extinction crisis in the latest episode of Sustainability Defined.
The acclaimed podcast one of GreenBiz’s top sustainability podcasts. In a simple and easy-to-follow manner, Ehrlich lays out the urgency of the extinction crisis and how the scientific and conservation community can come together with realistic solutions to save biodiversity, the web of life.
LISTEN NOW.The acclaimed podcast one of GreenBiz’s top sustainability podcasts. In a simple and easy-to-follow manner, Ehrlich lays out the urgency of the extinction crisis and how the scientific and conservation community can come together with realistic solutions to save biodiversity, the web of life.
STUDY SHOWS HALF-EARTH
DOUBLES GAINS FOR ORANGUTANS
A new study assesses what would happen to Bornean orangutans in the next decade under different management assumptions, including “Half-Earth.”
Hutan-Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Programme Scientific director Dr. Marc Ancrenaz commented in Borneo Echo, “The good news is that this analysis predicts that, if orangutan killing and habitat loss were stopped, orangutan populations could rebound and reach 148 per cent of their current size by 2122.”
Erik Meijaard, PhD, a study co-author and Director, Borneo Futures, sat down with Dennis Liu, VP Education, to discuss restoring orangutans and applying the Half-Earth principles in his work in Borneo.
Read More.Erik Meijaard, PhD, a study co-author and Director, Borneo Futures, sat down with Dennis Liu, VP Education, to discuss restoring orangutans and applying the Half-Earth principles in his work in Borneo.
UNPRECEDENTED RESOLUTION
NEW TOOLS, FEATURES ADDED
TO BIODIVERSITY MAP
Update to Half-Earth Project Map - improved resolution with 1KM species richness, rarity layers, new carbon layer, marine data, new personalization tools.
The Half-Earth Project Map is announcing a host of new tools and features to show patterns of biodiversity, human impacts, and protected areas to reveal conservation opportunities.
A new carbon layer shows how to protect species and address climate change.
LEARN MOREA new carbon layer shows how to protect species and address climate change.
PAST EVENTS
OUR SHARED FUTURE
A CONVERSATION IN CELEBRATION OF
HALF-EARTH DAY 2022
HALF-EARTH DAY 2022
This live event at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Baird Auditorium, in Washington, D.C. on October 13, featured Ani Dasgupta, President & CEO, WRI, James M. & Cathleen D. Stone Foundation Distinguished Lectureship in Biodiversity; Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian, Paula J. Ehrlich, President & CEO, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, Co-founder of the Half-Earth Project, Elizabeth Gray, CEO, Audubon, Cristián Samper, Managing Director and Leader of Climate Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund, Jennifer Morris, CEO, The Nature Conservancy, Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist, Esri, Adams Cassinga, National Geographic Explorer, Lucas St. Clair, President, Elliotsville Foundation, Sean B. Carroll, Head of Studio, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, with Jeff Corwin, wildlife biologist and TV host, and more.
The day featured additional speakers and plenary discussions as we address area-based conservation approaches to the biodiversity extinction crisis.
WATCH OUR SHARED FUTUREThe day featured additional speakers and plenary discussions as we address area-based conservation approaches to the biodiversity extinction crisis.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM
HALF-EARTH DAY 2022
OUR SHARED FUTURE
View highlights from the Opening Remarks featuring:
Ellen Stofan, Under Secretary of Science and Research, Smithsonian
Paula J. Ehrlich, President & CEO, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation
Kirk Johnson, Sant Director, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from Half-Earth Day 2022 in October.
WATCH HIGHLIGHTS
SAVING AMERICA'S BIODIVERSITY:
WILDLIFE CORRIDOR PROTECTION
PARTNERSHIPS, AND STRATEGIES
HALF-EARTH DAY 2022
Wildlands Network , E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, ARC Solutions, Endangered Species Coalition, International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Wilderness Society, in cooperation with hosts Representative Don Beyer (D-VA), and Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) held, “Saving America’s Biodiversity: Wildlife Corridor Protection, Partnerships and Strategies with Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation.”
Panel discussions took place at U.S. Capitol featured Audubon, Wildpath, Esri, Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, Hipcamp and more.
WATCH SAVING AMERICA'S BIODIVERSITYPanel discussions took place at U.S. Capitol featured Audubon, Wildpath, Esri, Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative, Hipcamp and more.
REFLECTIONS OF FAITH
ON 30x30
Places and Voices of America The Beautiful
A special panel in honor of E.O. Wilson's birthday, join our discussion series on 30x30, biodiversity in the United States, and the pathways and people essential to protecting them, featuring:
Gary Paul Nabhan, ethnobotanist and author
Ruah Swennerfelt of the Transition Movement
James Lockman, horticulture expert, Franciscan brother, and restoration ecologist
For more information here.
WATCH THE WEBINARGary Paul Nabhan, ethnobotanist and author
Ruah Swennerfelt of the Transition Movement
James Lockman, horticulture expert, Franciscan brother, and restoration ecologist
For more information here.
WHO WAS E.O. WILSON (1929–2021)?
Edward O. Wilson (1929–2021) was one of the leading scientists and among the foremost naturalists in the world.
Dr. Wilson was recognized in both science and literature, as a synthesizer in works stretching from pure biology across to the social sciences and humanities. Wilson was acknowledged as the creator of two scientific disciplines (island biogeography and sociobiology), three unifying concepts for science and the humanities jointly (biophilia, biodiversity studies, and consilience), and two major advances in global biodiversity conservation (the Encyclopedia of Life and Half-Earth.
He received the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize (equivalent of the Nobel, for ecology) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the International Prize of Biology of Japan; and in letters, two Pulitzer Prizes in non-fiction, the Nonino and Serono Prizes of Italy and COSMOS Prize of Japan. For his work in conservation, he received the Gold Medal of the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Audubon Medal of the Audubon Society.
E.O. Wilson passed away on December, 26, 2021 in Burlington, Massachusetts. He was 92.
LEARN MOREHe received the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize (equivalent of the Nobel, for ecology) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the International Prize of Biology of Japan; and in letters, two Pulitzer Prizes in non-fiction, the Nonino and Serono Prizes of Italy and COSMOS Prize of Japan. For his work in conservation, he received the Gold Medal of the Worldwide Fund for Nature and the Audubon Medal of the Audubon Society.
E.O. Wilson passed away on December, 26, 2021 in Burlington, Massachusetts. He was 92.
FROM THE BLOG
MEET CHAMPIONS OF BIODIVERSITY
Norina Vincente
Norina Carlos de Jesus Francisco Vicente, born in Tete Province, Mozambique, is an Entomologist in training and photographer. She received her B.Sc degree in Ecotourism and Wildlife Management from Instituto Superior Politécnico de Manica in Manica province. In 2016, while still studying, she accepted an internship in Mozambique’s premier protected area, Gorongosa National Park. Since then, her passion has been to understand how organisms and ecosystems are organized and how knowledge of ecology, evolution, and conservation biology can be used to develop better strategies to protect Mozambique’s national areas. Her interests concentrate on insects, taxonomy, new species, conservation of biodiversity, symbiosis between species, tritrophic interactions. Currently, she works at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique where she manages the biological collections, coordinates biodiversity data entry and digital imaging of specimens, species identification, and curation. Norina also leads educational tours and regularly participates in biodiversity surveys of Gorongosa. She is actively working with the taxonomy of ants in Gorongosa National Park as well as Lepidoptera. Norina is currently pursing a master’s degree in Integrative Biology at San Francisco State University in California.
Jenna Adams
Jenna Adams is a Master Ambassador in the Half-Earth Educator Ambassador Program. Jenna shares her love of science and learning with her middle school students in Baltimore City. You can also find Jenna exploring local biodiversity on walks with her dog while listening to a podcast. She earned a BS in Kinesiology at Penn State University and her Master’s in Education from Johns Hopkins University. Jenna shares her love of science and learning with her middle school students in Baltimore City where she’s been teaching for over 8 years. She knows that teachers are constant learners and seeks exciting new science information through books, podcasts, and her city. Jenna loves being a part of the Half-Earth team where she gets to collaborate with educators to explore topics of biodiversity and nature.
Tamara Jolly
Tamara Jolly is a Master Ambassador in the Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador Program. She discovered her deep love for nature as an adult, and hopes to instill environmental appreciation and advocacy into the lives of her students. As a high school science teacher in Baltimore City, Tamara has worked for 13 years in the classroom and looks for any opportunity to infuse nature and the environment into her lessons. As a woman of color, she has experienced moments of being excluded from natural spaces firsthand. She now hopes to increase access and inclusivity of nature for traditionally marginalized communities, while also expanding nature education opportunities in urban classrooms. This mission is so close to Tamara’s heart that she decided to take a year-long sabbatical from the classroom to study environmental and natural resources conservation at the SUNY School of Environmental Science and Forestry's Ranger School. Tamara also works as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant, facilitating DEI workshops, and is a fellow at the Adirondack Diversity Initiative.
HONORING INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Our Indigenous Land Acknowledgement
“The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and its program, The Half-Earth Project, honors the wisdom of the traditional owners of the lands and waters we aim to protect and their ancient ways of seeing and experiencing nature. In the spirit of the oral tradition of the Blackfoot, we aim to honor ‘the flash of the firefly in the night, the breath of the buffalo in the wintertime, and the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.’ We aim to restore and protect life. We thank our Indigenous communities for their historic stewardship of life, their critical role in reaffirming and repairing our relationship with it and their present and future partnership.”
– Paula Ehrlich, President & CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and Lead of the Half-Earth Project
DISCOVER INDIGENOUS HISTORY WHERE YOU LIVE– Paula Ehrlich, President & CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and Lead of the Half-Earth Project
JUSTICE, EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
The Half-Earth Project is calling on people everywhere to participate in a “moonshot” to care for our planet. Such efforts require broad collaboration across sectors and geographies and the contributions of diverse voices, perspectives, expertise and experience.
At the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, we acknowledge that centuries of racism, violence, discrimination and marginalization have obstructed participation of Black, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian people and communities of color in conservation globally. We acknowledge that barriers persist, despite the importance of these individuals and communities as both stakeholders and stewards, ones from whom the world has much to learn. Further, we recognize that the same people who have been systemically excluded from the process are disproportionately hurt by degraded air, lands and waters, perpetuating a cycle of harm and exclusion.
We commit to be part of breaking this cycle. We commit to prioritizing listening and taking clear steps externally and internally to combat racism and oppression of all types. We commit to working toward justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our leadership, our programs, our strategic planning, our operations, our communications and our fundraising. We commit to creating a culture at the foundation that educates staff and stakeholders on the issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and holds opportunity for traditionally excluded groups to join in processes, activities and decision-making. We welcome and encourage feedback along the way.
We commit to understanding that this body of work IS our work if we are to achieve the goal of Half-Earth and benefit all people and species.
At the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, we acknowledge that centuries of racism, violence, discrimination and marginalization have obstructed participation of Black, Latinx, Indigenous and Asian people and communities of color in conservation globally. We acknowledge that barriers persist, despite the importance of these individuals and communities as both stakeholders and stewards, ones from whom the world has much to learn. Further, we recognize that the same people who have been systemically excluded from the process are disproportionately hurt by degraded air, lands and waters, perpetuating a cycle of harm and exclusion.
We commit to be part of breaking this cycle. We commit to prioritizing listening and taking clear steps externally and internally to combat racism and oppression of all types. We commit to working toward justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our leadership, our programs, our strategic planning, our operations, our communications and our fundraising. We commit to creating a culture at the foundation that educates staff and stakeholders on the issues of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and holds opportunity for traditionally excluded groups to join in processes, activities and decision-making. We welcome and encourage feedback along the way.
We commit to understanding that this body of work IS our work if we are to achieve the goal of Half-Earth and benefit all people and species.