It seemed almost ironic that in an event aiming to highlight the issues surrounding the current loss of biodiversity, the range of speakers and topics could not have been more diverse.
The day, which was organised by Conservation Today, was loosely divided into three sections. The first, “The Necessities of Conservation” saw Dr Sam Turvey and Dr Emily Nicholson address some of the problems facing conservationists; from poor communication between governments and scientists to blatant refusal to invest in recovery programmes. Writer Caspar Henderson provided a more philosophical view on these issues, and his quote from Kafka seemed particularly poignant at this time where extinction rates are 100-1000 times the usual background levels: “There is hope, but not for you.”
The second session provided something entirely different, exploring the idea of “Biodiversity and the Imagination”. Charles Darwin’s great-great-Granddaughter Ruth Padel started proceedings with several absorbing readings from her book ‘Tigers in Red Weather’. Dr Jamie Lorimer then gave a geographers point of view on the ideas of ‘natures vs. Nature’; how we view these, and the nature of the binary dualism that seems to separate society and people from nature and animals. The audience was then asked “Would you like an apple?” by Melanie Challenger, who went on to present an interesting dichotomy of how we are losing language diversity much in the same way that species are being lost.
“Biodiversity Futures” was the title of the final session, although the speakers did stray from the brief somewhat! Presenter and professor, Armand Leroi, chose to ask the audience for advice, having been giving almost free reign by BBC4 to make a television programme on conservation. He was followed by Professor John Fa who presented an illuminating account of the bushmeat trade in the Congo basin. He talked about the research done by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the many problems they face along the way. Finally, Steve Roest, the Director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, used a film and passionate speech to remind us that we also need to be aware of the plight of the Oceans, and the numerous illegal activities such as dumping of waste and illegal fishing which go on in them. As he rightly pointed out, “The Ocean is our larder, but it’s also our toilet”, something which is especially important to remember given that current estimates put the extinction of commercial fishing at sometime before 2048.
At the end of each session there was a debate between members of the panel and audience, and this was the true strength of the event. Not only were members of the public able to ask questions and clarify the (sometimes science-heavy) issues, the panellists also questioned each other and discussed issues such as whether we can really compare the decline of language with the mass extinction of living species.
The event took place in an art gallery within the eco-friendly BASH HQ, and also featured a collection of art projects, supported by the Royal Society of Arts. These innovative pieces aimed to illustrate the many things we are currently doing which damage the Earth, and what we could be doing to protect it. One piece featured a shower curtain which physically pushes you out of the shower using inflatable spikes, after you’ve had your designated four minutes showering time. However, my favourite piece was a collection of hundreds of pieces of litter, all collected from Britain’s beaches, and being sold as “100 % unique” souvenir gifts.
Founder of Conservation Today, Will Pearse, said he felt the event was a “huge success”, allowing a variety of people to engage and debate the issues of conservation. This will hopefully be the first of many events organised by the group, but in the meantime, you can go to their website to read a range of blogs and news stories covering global wildlife conservation and environmental topics.