Communicating the Importance of Half

The Half-Earth Project is playing an important role in ensuring that once-in-a-generation conservation opportunities are considered in the context of a diverse and robust public conversation.

Places and Voices of America the Beautiful is a discussion series focused on areas of great biodiversity in the U.S. and the pathways and people essential to protecting them. A special objective of the series is to bring new voices into the 30x30 dialogue—that of Phillip Howard, who is championing preservation of sacred sites for Civil Rights history that are also laced with precious natural heritage; of Deja Perkins, an urban ecologist and advocate for equal access to nature; and of Joshua F. Walden from the Center for Heirs Property Preservation, which helps landowners retain rights while also generating economic benefits through conservation.

These are but a few of the amazing voices we have been honored to help bring to the 30x30 table and on which campaign funds will help expand.

Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador Network

Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassadors are a robust network of teachers engaging youth in biodiversity science and conservation. The network includes U.S. classroom teachers across disciplines looking for ways to bring biodiversity and conservation into their curriculum— from science to the humanities to the arts—as well as non-formal educators with organizations such as nature centers. The program develops high-quality educational resources for teachers at levels from middle school to college. We aim to grow the network to thousands of teachers in all 50 states as well as expand beyond the classroom. ©

— QUEEN QUET, CHIEFTESS OF THE GULLAH/GEECHEE NATION, SPEAKING AT HALF-EARTH DAY

Half-Earth Day

Half-Earth Day gathers people from around the world and across disciplines to share their perspectives and thought leadership on how we can work together to ensure the health of our planet for future generations. Past participants have included influential voices like Paul Simon, Johan Rockström, Sir David Attenborough, Razan Al Mubarak, Sally Jewell, Cristián Samper, Tom Friedman, and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim. Increasingly, the day has become a time for others to reflect on the state of biodiversity and celebrate Half-Earth Day through their own channels. The ethos is spreading.

It is a microcosm of what truly needs to happen to embrace a new cultural foundation on which human societies base market and policy decisions.

Expanding Nature Education in Urban Classrooms

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) in Decision-Making Related to Biodiversity

We cannot reimagine how we care for our planet with only a fraction of its people. Communities that have historically been excluded from the conservation movement must have a seat at the table to share distinct perspectives and knowledge. In the opening session to Half-Earth Day 2021, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, an Indigenous leader from the Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad and an expert in climate, noted that, “We are victims of the climate impact, yes, but we are also the solutions.”

The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation is committed to being an organization that exhibits the same balance we are asking for between people and nature. We are building staff and volunteer leadership, partnerships, and a supporter base that reflect the complex world that is our shared home. The Path to Half Campaign offers a special opportunity to drive philanthropy in service of such equitable conservation approaches, cultivating and sustaining trust among diverse constituencies, from how we engage with Indigenous people to expanding career opportunities in the natural sciences for people from underrepresented groups.

Tamara Jolly is a high school science teacher in Baltimore, where she has worked for 13 years. As a Master Ambassador, she works closely with the Half-Earth Project to grow the network and guide curriculum development. In the classroom, she looks for any opportunity to infuse nature and the environment into her lessons. As a woman of color, she has experienced moments of being excluded from natural spaces firsthand. She now hopes to increase access and inclusivity of nature for traditionally marginalized communities, while also expanding nature education opportunities in urban classrooms.