“What can I do to help?” How to reset our relationship with nature.

Hosted by Save the Rhino International and Pledge For Our Future.

About this Event

A discussion with the team behind the #Pledgeforourfuture initiative.

Panellists:

Claudio Sillero – Professor of Conservation Biology at the University of Oxford, Chief Scientist at the Born Free Foundation and Director of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme

Mirjam Hazenbosch – PhD student at the University of Oxford

Munib Khanyari – PhD student at the University of Bristol, Nature Conservation Foundation-India

Jon Taylor – Deputy Director of Save the Rhino International

Chaired by E.J. Milner-Gulland – Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford

Humanity’s relationship with nature has become increasingly unsustainable. Recent events have demonstrated this, including the COVID pandemic, devastating fires in Australia, Siberia and Brazil, and floods in India and the UK. We need to reset our relationship with nature so we can build a world in which both people and nature can thrive. To do this we need to come together across the world, regardless of our backgrounds and circumstances, as fellow humans who share the same planet. We all need to raise our voices so that people in power hear us and change their policies. We also need to take action as individuals and groups to change the way we live.

#Pledgeforourfuture is a place for people to say how they feel, get inspired and register their commitment to change their lifestyles and influence others. If enough of us come together and raise our voices, we can show decision-makers that change must come. Together, we can build an unstoppable momentum towards creating a planet where both nature and people can thrive.

Our panellists cover a spectrum of age, conservation experience and approaches, and come from different parts of the world (Argentina, the Netherlands, India and the UK). They have come together because of their shared vision of empowering people to find the answer to the perennial question “But what can I do to help?”.

In this session we will hear about where they got their love of nature, how they have tried to make a difference in their personal and professional lives and where they may sometimes still struggle, and about their hopes and fears for the future of nature and humanity.

We will discuss the importance of seizing this current moment of heightened awareness about the intertwining fates of nature and people. We will also talk about how to answer questions from people who are concerned, but don’t know where to start in making a change – or who may feel that their contribution is too small to be relevant.

We will introduce the idea of #4steps4theEarth as a way of structuring people’s commitments to nature.

Finally, we will discuss what gives the panellists #ConservationOptimism.

The panel session will be followed by a Question and Answer session.

Please send us any questions for the panel in advance to: contact@pledgeforourfuture.earth or tweet to #pledgeforourfuture

This event is hosted by Save the Rhino International in conjunction with Pledge For Our Future and further supported by Conservation Optimism and The Conservation Hierarchy