Safeguarding Space for Nature Symposium

How much space do we need for humans and wildlife to live side-by-side?

ZSL London Zoo – 27-28 February 2018

Press Release : Our planet is rapidly losing its remaining wild spaces and the species that call them home. In the past 40 years alone, the population abundance of vertebrate species has declined, on average, by nearly two-thirds. As part of efforts to stem this worrying decline, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have pledged to secure protection for at least 17 per cent of land and freshwater habitats alongside 10 per cent of the ocean by 2020. But is this enough, and what happens beyond this milestone date?

On 27-28 February 2018, international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) will come together with the National Geographic Society (NGS) – in partnership with BirdLife International, CBD, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) – to co-host a major symposium exploring these pressing questions at the confluence of economic development and wildlife conservation.

Bringing together international scientists, conservationists, policymakers, civil servants and funders, the two-day Safeguarding Space for Nature Symposium will set out to chart the way forward – looking beyond the CBD’s 2020 biodiversity targets towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the aspiration of a healthy planet for all its inhabitants, human and otherwise, by 2050.

The symposium will offer a packed two days of presentations, panel discussions and working groups involving a who’s-who of senior thinkers across the conservation and development sectors.

Attendance at this high-profile scientific event costs £160 for the full two days or £100 for one day only. Concessions are available for ZSL Members/Fellows and students. To find out more and register to attend, please visit: www.zsl.org/spacefornaturesymposium