The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is pleased to announce its annual Half-Earth Day will be held at the GEO BON Global Conference in Montreal on October 12, 2023. The Foundation is excited to be returning to Montreal, where governments from around the world convened last year at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP-15) to reach agreement on goals to guide global action to halt and reverse the loss of nature.
Half-Earth Day 2023 at GEO BON will focus on how we can link information to action, fostering a conversation on how we can use the best available science to support communities in their understanding and stewardship of biodiversity, and also connect and empower community and stakeholder insights to ensure truly successful conservation outcomes.
In its seventh year, Half-Earth Day 2023 will feature distinguished scientists, conservationists, thinkers, educators, businesspeople, and community activists and leaders working to conserve global biodiversity. Half-Earth Day will commence with lunch, followed by a conversation on the impacts of forest fires and marine heat waves that will set the stage for afternoon panel discussions on the role of science, society, business and policy towards supporting better conservation for biodiversity and people.
The James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Distinguished Lectureship in Biodiversity will cap off the day, with Wade Davis, Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia, providing keynote remarks. A former Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society, which named him one of the Explorers for the Millennium, Davis has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.”
Half-Earth Day brings together people from around the world and across disciplines to share their unique perspectives on how to achieve the goal of Half-Earth and ensure the health of the planet for future generations. Half-Earth Day 2022 was held in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and hosted by wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin.
Half-Earth Day is held with the support of Presenting Sponsor John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Contributing Partner Bezos Earth Fund. Other generous support comes from ADM, Esri, and the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.
Please visit Half-Earth Day 2023 for more information about the event, or send inquiries to taylormade@eowilsonfoundation.org.
