Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Achieving a Prosperous Ocean

Greg Stone
Senior Vice President Marine Conservation and Chief Scientist for Oceans, Conservation International
&
Sebastian Troeng
Vice President Global Marine, Conservation International

The ocean is the womb of life, the ancestral home of all Earth’s species, and the ecological engine that powers our survival. By providing food security, regulating the Earth’s climate, and performing a score of other fundamental ecological services, the ocean has supported human welfare and the rise of civilization. But the ocean’s health is declining rapidly, which in turn threatens human well-being. Drs. Greg Stone and Sebastian Troëng will present Conservation International’s plan to apply four global solutions to restore and maintain a prosperous ocean and spur a revolution in marine governance and management.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009
U.S. Policy and Global Climate Change

Lisa Handy
Senior Director U.S. Government Affairs
Conservation International

As global leaders gather in Copenhagen this month they will be making key decisions about curbing emissions and directing billions of dollars of international support to combat climate change.  At the same time American policy makers remain largely unaware of the magnitude of the current conservation crisis and the measures necessary to avert it.  What are leaders deciding in Copenhagen, and what can we do to provide our nation’s decision makers with the information they need to respond to these global crises with adequate resources? 

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The Wealth of Nature: Integrating nature’s real value in traditional economic systems

Russell A. Mittermeier, Ph.D. (tentative)
President
Conservation International
&
Cristina Mittermeier
Executive Director
International League of Conservation Photographers

“How many of the comforts we enjoy and the products we use come courtesy of Nature’s seemingly infinite warehouse of services? Bees pollinate the cereals we eat for breakfast, forests and wetlands purify the water that we drink, and the trees in our yards trap pollutants from the air we breathe. All of these benefits, as well as our fuels and natural medicines and countless others, come to us, free of charge, from our planet’s healthy ecosystems. . . .. How do we come to value the many services Nature provides that are necessary for our survival? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we maintain the full array of ecological services necessary for future generations to thrive?”  So begins a new publication, The Wealth of Nature, produced by The International League of Conservation Photographers with partners Conservation International (CI), IUCN, The WILD Foundation and CEMEX. CI’s President and legendary conservationist, Dr. Russell A. Mittermeier, and ILCP’s founder and Executive Director, Cristina Mittermeier, join us to discuss ideas on how to integrate the real value of important services – fertile soil, fresh water, breathable air, and a moderate climate – into traditional economic systems to benefit all of Nature, including humans.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Natural Resource Management: How Some Corporations and Countries Are Getting It Right 

Glenn Prickett
Senior Vice President, Center for Environmental Leadership in Business
Conservation International 

Whether he is in the forest of Brazil or in the halls of the United Nations, CI’s Glenn Prickett has forged connections between major international corporations and community-based conservation efforts across the globe to support sustainable resource management.  Prickett has just completed an assignment with the UN Foundation, where he worked with representatives from around the world to prepare for the negotiations in Copenhagen.   He will talk about visionary nations that are leading the way by considering all land use issues as they address climate change:   balancing the benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing tropical deforestation and degrading agricultural practices, while at the same time addressing the real need to double food production to feed growing populations. 

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Science to Action: Linking Deep Scientific Research to the Real World

Celia A. Harvey, PhD (tentative)
Vice President, Global Change and Ecosystem Services
Center for Applied Biodiversity Science
Conservation International

Conservation International’s Center for Applied Biodiversity Science is the 5th most cited research institution in the world but the only one that is linked to field operations in more than 40 countries across the globe.  Dr. Celia Harvey will share how CI scientists are providing spatial planning, real-time monitoring, and other scientific research that are critical to guiding our conservation strategies on the ground.  With decades of data on hand and being collected all the time, CI can respond quickly to data demands and has been able to show the application of science in real world situations, making CI an influential voice in the ongoing international climate discussions.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Why care about the Sixth Extinction?

Dr. Thomas Brooks
Conservation Priorities and Outreach, Center for Applied Biodiversity Science
Conservation International

Catastrophic “mass extinctions” have struck our planet five times over the history of life on Earth: the most recent of these, 65 million years ago, was caused by an asteroid impact and was responsible for killing the dinosaurs. Now, human activities have accelerated extinction rates to the level of a mass extinction. Species are now becoming extinct a thousand times faster than normal through Earth history – people are, in effect, the new asteroid. We will discuss four central questions about the Sixth Extinction. First, what are the dimensions of this extinction crisis – where is it happening, and to whom? Second, what are its causes? Third, how can we prevent it? Finally, and critically, how will our lives and livelihoods benefit from stopping it? 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Indigenous Peoples and Conservation: From Rights to Resource Management

Kristen Walker Painemilla
Executive Director, Indigenous & Traditional Peoples Program
Conservation International 

Many indigenous communities depend directly on natural ecosystems for their livelihoods. The economy, identity, and cultural and spiritual values, as well as the social organization of indigenous peoples, are closely linked to natural ecosystems.  Indigenous peoples and their land holdings are therefore a vital strategic partners in conservation, yet they are often situated in landscapes experiencing rapid social and economic change resulting from factors such as the immigration of farmers and ranchers, logging, and mineral exploitation. Indigenous communities have responded to these threats and raised their voices to demand greater protection for their traditional rights to the renewable resources.  Ms. Walker will discuss the successful and ongoing campaigns of indigenous people to create legally-defined territories where they can manage the land,  based on their traditional knowledge.