Places for a Half-Earth Future has been created as an umbrella mechanism to recognize diverse conservation efforts and affiliate their activities as a contribution to the goal of Half-Earth. Places for a Half-Earth Future includes both areas that are being managed for conservation as well as those that are pursuing scientific activities that contribute to the conservation and creation of a Half-Earth future.
What kinds of places are Places for a Half-Earth Future?
Places for a Half-Earth Future include places on land and sea where communities are:
Examples include:
What does it mean to be one of the Places for a Half-Earth Future?
Places for a Half-Earth Future will be recognized for their unique and important contributions to a Half-Earth future. Their research and conservation best practices will be showcased online and at Half-Earth events. Communities working in support of Places for a Half-Earth Future will use their network and affiliations with Half-Earth to drive interest in their work as it supports this grand ambition.
The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and the Half-Earth Project will acknowledge and feature Places on its various communications and engagement platforms, make connections, and contribute intellectually. Places will share and communicate their findings, methods, results and good news with the Half-Earth Project and the broader conservation community, including through peer-reviewed and other publications.
How can Places for a Half-Earth Future benefit my conservation efforts?
Places for a Half-Earth Future brings diverse stakeholders together to create opportunities for interconnection, expanding habitat and migration routes and improving the health of species populations, while providing examples and inspiration for anyone interested in contributing to a Half-Earth future. In turn, Places will benefit from the findings, resources and enhanced visibility provided by the Half-Earth Project, in particular the Half-Earth Map, as well as opportunities for networking and public engagement.
Gorongosa National Park (GNP) is one of the world’s great biodiversity restoration stories. The 1500 square mile park in Mozambique’s Sofala province has expansion plans that will increase its lands to nearly that of Serengeti National Park. (https://gorongosa.org/)
Important features of the park supporting a Half-Earth Future include:
A KFLA Land Conservancy Reserve in Ontario, Canada, acquired to protect a 200-acre Millen property in perpetuity, has been named a Place for a Half-Earth Future. The new reserve is adjacent to other protected lands including a Provincial Park and lake system under conservation status, and is home to many important species including 9 at-risk species. (http://www.landconservancykfla.org/)
The team managing the program will:
Chumbe Island Coral Park Ltd. (CHICOP), an award-winning private nature reserve that was developed from 1991 for the conservation and sustainable management of uninhabited Chumbe Island off Zanzibar, has been named a Place for a Half-Earth Future. (https://chumbeisland.com/)
A member of The Long Run – a membership organization of nature-based tourism businesses committed to driving sustainability and a recognized Community for a Half-Earth Future – Chumbe Island is a unique, privately managed nature reserve. To establish the conservation value of the reserve, baseline surveys were conducted at the start of the project, and regular and thorough monitoring of the Chumbe marine and terrestrial ecosystems have since been carried out to ensure an adaptive management approach.
The overall aim of CHICOP is to create a model of financially and ecologically sustainable park management, where ecotourism supports conservation, research and comprehensive Environmental Education programs for local schools and other benefits for local people.
