E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation

THE E.O. WILSON BIODIVERSITY FOUNDATION'S MISSION IS TO FOSTER A KNOWING STEWARDSHIP OF OUR WORLD THROUGH BIODIVERSITY RESEARCH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES THAT PROMOTE AND INFORM WORLDWIDE PRESERVATION OF OUR BIOLOGICAL HERITAGE. WE BELIEVE THAT BY ENHANCING OUR PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF BIODIVERSITY, WE CAN FOSTER A CULTURE OF STEWARDSHIP IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE INSPIRED TO CONSERVE AND PROTECT THE NATURAL WORLD.

Inspire informed collective action to save the biosphere: leave no species behind.

Goal One: Conduct and support courageous research that provides scientific leadership in service of a resilient planet.

Goal Two: Foster education that engenders an intergenerational commitment to stewardship of the Earth.

Goal Three: Engage a global community that perceives and celebrates the inherent value of nature.

The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and the Half-Earth Project understand that we cannot achieve our mission without recognizing and working actively to address human inequities. This has been the foundation for our plan on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). Among several pillars in this plan, one is to ensure we engage our staff in JEDI training. Therefore, we have enlisted an outside consultancy to support staff development (https://www.lacyconsultingservices.com/). In order to ensure we are informed about the educational landscape that our Educator Ambassador are working in, our staff participates in conferences and institutes for science educators. Recently, of particular significance was the annual meeting of the North American Association of Environmental Educators. As a final example, we supplement our board orientation with a formal “board mentor program." The program pairs an incoming board member with a long-serving board member who serves as a mentor.

One of our main adaptations over the last year was to virtual learning and engagement. For example, our Educator Ambassador Program was significantly impacted when school was interrupted and then went virtual. Suddenly educators had to find new ways of presenting information and engaging students, all while dealing with their own challenges at home during a pandemic. The Half-Earth Project was pleased to be able to provide teachers with digital tools to explore biodiversity and conservation at a moment when these tools were so needed. More broadly, against the backdrop of a life-altering global pandemic, increasingly visible impacts of a changing climate, and continued calls for social and environmental justice there is heightened focus on the need to protect the very fabric of life, the need to protect biodiversity. At its core, our proposed effort is about empowering individuals and communities to take conservation action to care for our planet and its natural species and people. But the past months have prompted us to think in more detailed ways about how our programs can innovate to harness technology (e.g. How can the Half-Earth Project Map allow people everywhere to serve as activists and custodians for life on Earth?) and engage new constituencies in ways that are meaningful for their needs and aspirations, from young scientists to traditional stewards of the world’s most extraordinary places for biodiversity.