With science at its core and our transcendent moral obligation to the rest of life at its heart, the Half-Earth Project is working to conserve half the land and sea to safeguard the bulk of biodiversity, including ourselves.
E.O. Wilson answers questions from the audience at Half-Earth Day 2019, held October 7 and co-hosted by the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and the UC Berkeley College of Natural Resources.
E.O. Wilson, Jane Goodall, and Jack Dangermond discuss the current status of species conservation, the growing threats to global biodiversity, and present a hopeful, achievable vision for the future that combines science, technology, and a global movement. Their inspiring keynote conversation took place Monday, July 8 at the 2019 Esri User Conference in San Deigo.
In his landmark book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, E.O. Wilson proposed conserving half the lands and seas for biodiversity to ensure the long-term health of the planet. What will Half-Earth look like? Where are the best places on Earth to protect the most species? Why Half, and how do we get there? That’s the work of the Half-Earth Project.
“With the biodiversity of our planet mapped carefully and soon, the bulk of the Earth’s species, including ourselves, can be saved.” – E.O. Wilson
What does the conservation picture look like in your home region, or in your favorite place on the other side of the world? The ENHANCED Half-Earth Project Map can show you. With the redesigned, intuitive navigation menu and the easy-to-use search function, we invite you to explore species populations, human pressures on those species, and current conservation protections around the globe, wherever your interests lead you.
“In order to realize a vision on the scale of Half-Earth, we need to mobilize virtually everybody on the planet.”
– Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president
As habitats are reduced in size, the diversity within them declines to a mathematically predictable degree swiftly, often immediately and, for a large number, forever.
Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace
E.O. Wilson Weighs In On Burying Beetles And The Desperate Need For Biodiversity
Nonhuman Life Should Be Central to Sustainability Problem-Solving
“Unless humanity learns a great deal more about global biodiversity and moves quickly to protect it, we will soon lose most of the species composing life on Earth.” – E.O. Wilson
Earth is a little-known planet. Scientists estimate that only 2 million of the planet’s 10 million species have been discovered. Using new technologies and assessment techniques, species discovery is accelerating.
The critical work to fill in the gaps in our knowledge must be done by more “boots on the ground,” a Linnean renaissance of species discovery and taxonomy work led by field biologists around the world.
By mapping the Earth’s species at fine-scale, and in relation to human activities, the Half-Earth Project is identifying and prioritizing the places we need to manage for conservation in order to safeguard the highest number of species. With the biodiversity of our planet mapped carefully and soon, the bulk of Earth’s species, including humans, can be saved.
At the center of this grand effort is the Half-Earth Project Map, a growing platform that answers the question: Where will conservation action protect the most species?
The Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador program was created to provide a platform for teachers to engage each other and their students in the grand ambition of Half-Earth and to inspire and connect students with the natural world.
With the grand ambition of Half-Earth as a moonshot, we’re counting on Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassadors to lead the way, guiding their students to be our next generation stewards.
Half-Earth offers a solution to the global species extinction crisis that is commensurate with the magnitude of the problem: conserve half the Earth’s lands and seas in order to reverse the species extinction crisis, and ensure the long-term health of the planet.
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Join us and stay up-to-date on progress toward this grand goal.
