A healthy planet is not only visionary and inspiring, it is within reach. But to get there, we must leverage science and come together to enact solutions. Half-Earth Day® is where that happens. Held annually in October in different locations around the world, Half-Earth Day gathers people from across disciplines to share their unique perspectives and thought leadership on how we can work together to ensure the health of our planet for future generations. A part of The Half-Earth Project®, the event brings together scientists, Indigenous and community leaders, and global conservation and multinational organizations to share their voices and visions for how we can save the biosphere. It draws upon the seminal research and vision of E.O. Wilson, who advocated for a Half-Earth solution to the biodiversity crisis and whose passionate call to protect species inspired the 30X30 goals adopted by over 190 nations. For the last seven years, Half-Earth Day has partnered with institutions like The Eden Project, The Smithsonian Institution, and National Geographic Society. Speakers have included community and Indigenous leaders, activists, and scientists like Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, and Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, and recognizable figures like Sir David Attenborough, Razan Al Mubarak, Johan Rockström, Jack Dangermond, Tom Friedman, and Paul Simon.
The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is bringing its annual Half-Earth Day event to Santiago de Cali, Colombia, to be held October 22 alongside the 16th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16). Taking place in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, COP16 is the first meeting since the landmark 2022 adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Half-Earth Day 2024 will respond to COP16’s theme Peace with Nature by emphasizing the role of knowledge in global species conservation. The program, Knowledge for Life, will focus on lands and waters critical to protecting biodiversity—from Indigenous and local areas to urban and human-modified environments—and will provide participants opportunities to learn about how knowledge, data, and experiences are creating innovative environmental management solutions, expanding private-sector collaboration and leadership, and leading to scientific advances that are transforming biodiversity conservation. Taking advantage of the widespread participation and representation present during COP16, we are building an inclusive and dynamic program that will provide participants with opportunities for exchange with people working to protect biodiversity around the world including youth, Indigenous community members, corporate institutions, and public agencies.
Half-Earth Day will take place at Casa Humboldt in the conference’s “Green Zone,” an interactive, public space for NGOs, the private sector, and community stakeholders to share inspiring and collaborative biodiversity conservation actions and initiatives. Taking advantage of the widespread participation and representation present during COP16, we are building an inclusive and dynamic program that will provide participants with opportunities for exchange with people working to protect biodiversity around the world including youth, Indigenous community members, corporate institutions, and public agencies.
Half-Earth Day 2024 will be presented thanks to the generous support of ADM, with additional support from Nature & Culture International, the Humboldt Institute, and other partners and sponsors.
Check out more information and stay connected on our progress here. Caring for the environment and human health calls for the best of our science and ingenuity, along with a strong sense of compassion and moral compass. We hope you will join us as we showcase how we can safeguard the long-term health of our planet to ensure we leave no species behind. To inquire about partnership and sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Niquole Esters, nesters@eowilsonfoundation.org (partnership)
Amy Tidovsky, atidovsky@eowilsonfoundation.org (sponsorship)
