Amidst migrating marine life and other joys of the California coast, hosts Jack and Laura Dangermond and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation convened leading environmental advocates and philanthropists, including Harrison Ford and Wade Davis, on March 16, 2024, to consider the questions, “What kind of world do we want to see, and how will we get there?” As the founders of Esri, the Foundation’s primary partner in the development of the Half-Earth Project Map, the Dangermonds are among the Half-Earth Project’s most ardent champions.
The day was brimming with the possibility of how we might raise our collective ambition to protect Earth’s biodiversity and reverse the extinction crisis. Paula Ehrlich, CEO and President of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, challenged the group to imagine how “deep scientific understanding could inform action … and bring together our common humanity toward a goal—a goal that will actually solve the problem.”
At the gathering, the Dangermonds were recognized for their support with the announcement of the Jack and Laura Dangermond Scientific Chair of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, a position held by Dr. Walter Jetz, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the Yale School of the Environment.
Additionally, the Half-Earth Educator Ambassadors and Half-Earth Chairs & Scholars programs were featured, and the Foundation’s newest staff leader, Vice President of Strategic Engagement Niquole Esters, was introduced. From deepening the understanding of life on Earth through the Half-Earth Project Map to engaging with communities in the world’s most biodiverse places to contributing to movements and larger culture change, the Foundation is more committed than ever to reimagining the way that we care for our planet.
To learn more about this event or ways you can contribute to the work of the Foundation, please contact Amy Tidovsky, Vice President of Development, at atidovsky@eowilsonfoundation.org.
