E.O. Wilson once shared, “I express the belief that science and religion joined in an alliance…can save Creation, that is, life in the natural world. On behalf of Science, I will be so bold, to offer the hand of friendship.”
In a special episode of Places and Voices of America the Beautiful: Reflections of Faith on 30×30, moderated by Paula J. Ehrlich, CEO & President of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, and Co-Founder of the Half-Earth Project, we honor the birthday of the late E.O. Wilson (1929 – 2021) with an exploration of the voices of conservationists engaging from their faith, and indigenous knowledge and native wisdom, informing ecological restoration and species protection in the US.
Faith-based communities have long held a connection and reverence for the natural world. Today, the species extinction crisis provides a platform to elevate actions taken to restore and protect habitat framed not only by science, but a religiosity based in individual faith. The Laudauto Si’ of the Catholic faith, Quaker Earthcare Witness and the Transition Movement reveal intersections with community and governmental goals of protecting biodiversity. Their voices make a key contribution to the success of 30×30 and create a rich pathway for the next installment in the Places and Voices discussion series.
Against the backdrop of the current push for 30×30 as initiated by the Biden-Harris America the Beautiful Plan, the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is convening ambassadors of faith-based ecological restoration and resilience for a conversation on opportunities and challenges as we seek to identify and protect 30% of US land and seas. This talk will be the fourth in a series focused on areas of great biodiversity and the pathways and people essential to protecting them.
- Gary Nabhan, PhD, Ethnobotanist, Author
- James Lockman, Senior Restoration Ecologist, Tierra Data
- Ruah Swennerfelt, The Transition Movement, Quaker EarthCare Witness
