Species diversity is the foundation of a healthy planet.
Today, they are disappearing at an alarming rate.
There is a solution. It’s called Half-Earth.
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.
Getting to Half
Half-Earth Day 2018
On Half-Earth Day we celebrated E.O. Wilson’s grand Half-Earth ambition, showcased progress, engaged key stakeholders, and fielded questions from capacity crowds, while thousands more followed online. Momentum is growing for our planet’s “moonshot.”
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?
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.
