We’re Powering How by making it possible for conservationists to do critically important exploration, research, and decision-making through the Half-Earth Project.
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These are the last two white rhinos.
They are functionally extinct.
[ Our mission: reimagine how we take care of the planet: ]
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E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is Powering How – creating and delivering actionable science through the Half-Earth Project to inspire and empower people, communities, and governments to tackle the biodiversity crisis.
How can we save more species?
Scientific discovery is How.
How can we stop the extinction crisis?
Education is How.
We’re Powering How by educating the next generation of scholars and scientists with rich biodiversity education resources.
How can we preserve global biodiversity?
Connection is How.
We’re Powering How by convening leading voices in conservation to create new conversations, new solutions, and new champions for biodiversity.
How can we take action that benefits all species including our own?
Hope is How.
We’re Powering How by spreading E.O. Wilson’s hopeful inspiration and providing tools through the Half-Earth Project, we are empowering everyone from backyard birdwatchers to national leaders to do their part to protect biodiversity.
With scientific discovery, education, connection, and hope inspired by E.O. Wilson,
The Half-Earth Project is saving more species
and finding solutions to the most important question of all:
How do we ensure the continued survival of life on Earth?
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Half-Earth in the Forest Canopy
Tepanuli orangutans build their nests in the forest canopy of Sumatra. These great apes swing far more often than they walk, and their airborne habitat offers a prime view of predators stalking below. The nests are growing scarce, however. At last count, scientists recorded less than 800 wild Tepanuli orangutans.
They are critically endangered, along with the world’s other two orangutan species, which inhabit the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. Fifty years ago, Bornean orangutans numbered near 300,000. Data project that less than 50,000 will be left in 2025. Conservation strategies must not only maintain the species, says Dr. Eric Meijaard, “but recover as many as possible.”
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Noriña’s Vicente and the Next Generation
Scientist Noriña Vicente documents ants, moths, beetles, and other insects in Gorongosa National Park, peering at the microscopic world of an ecosystem that holds outsized influence on our planet’s biodiversity. With rainforests, savannas, and wetlands, Gorongosa Park in Mozambique is ecologically unique, and its scientists are committed to preserving the health of its magnificent flora and fauna.
Vicente’s journey to explore her homeland’s rich natural world began with a spark of inspiration during childhood. A TV documentary featuring E. O. Wilson’s research collaborations in Gorongosa flashed on two women conducting field surveys in the bush. “They were in the park, studying the behavior of lions,” Vicente remembered. “I thought, oh wow, there are women studying this!”
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Global Urgency for Biodiversity
The movement to protect biodiversity is gaining momentum. At the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference, the global community emphasized why biodiversity is important: for our health and wellbeing, food supply and safety. Country leaders acknowledged who is responsible: Every nation and sector must work together for nothing less than planetary survival. To conclude the event and mark their commitments, 188 countries ratified the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). This agreement will shape how we protect the species that share our planet.
“Nations have made a historic decision to protect the web of life upon which we all depend,” said Paula Ehrlich, President and CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. E. O. Wilson’s research on island biogeography and his subsequent book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, inspired the 30×30 target included in the GBF: 30% of lands and waters protected by 2030. “The agreement unites us in common cause to save nature, and with it, ourselves.”
[ Who was E.O. Wilson?: ]
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E.O. Wilson’s Legacy
Edward Osborne Wilson (1929–2021) is widely considered one of the greatest natural scientists of our time. He was a pioneer in efforts to preserve and protect the biodiversity of our planet, receiving more than 150 international awards, including Pulitzer Prizes for his books On Human Nature and The Ants.
His legacy in conservation science and his passion for biodiversity laid the foundation for the Half-Earth Project and its collaborative action on behalf of all species. Dr. Wilson’s Half-Earth vision is the culmination of a lifetime of discovery—and a guiding light for our future.
