Delivered by Professor Georgina Mace, one of the world's leading experts on conserving biodiversity, the talk, entitled Biodiversity conservation in a changing world, forms part of a series of events being held as part of celebrations for Bristol Zoo’s 175th anniversary this year.
Professor Mace, who is Professor of Conservation Science and Director of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Centre for Population Biology at Imperial College London, was instrumental in developing the criteria for listing species in the IUCN Red List, the most comprehensive tool for evaluating the conservation status of the world’s plants and animals.
Professor Mace said: “Following intergovernmental negotiations in Japan, we have a new set of commitments for the conservation and management of global biodiversity. Many of these targets set by governments for 2020 are ambitious, especially considering the rate of change in the environment that is anticipated over the same time period.
“In this talk I will discuss some of the challenges and introduce ways and means that scientific research and practical conservation might be corralled to help us meet these important targets.”
Dr Bryan Carroll, Director of Bristol Zoo, said: “Biodiversity, the variety of life on Earth, is essential to sustaining the living networks and systems that provide us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives depend on. Humankind has the power to protect or destroy biodiversity, but many of our current activities are threatening the world’s environments, plants and animals at an increasingly alarming rate.”
“Our vision is to create a sustainable future for wildlife and people. We aim to maintain biodiversity through breeding endangered species, conserving threatened species in the wild, and promoting the natural world. This talk is a reflection of that as we celebrate our milestone year.
“As a leading conservation and education charity, we aim to combat the problems facing our planet by researching these threats, working to overcome them and communicating the findings to a wider audience, so that more people help save species.”
Biodiversity conservation in a changing world will be held in the Reception Room, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, on Wednesday 9 March 2011 from 6 pm. To book, please visit the event’s online booking system or telephone 0117 928 8515
For more information about other events as part of Bristol Zoo Gardens’ 175th anniversary year, visit the Bristol Zoo website or telephone 0117 974 7300.