The Future of Biodiversity: Reconciling Nature and Economics

As part of Boston Climate Week, The Harvard University Biodiversity and Planetary Stewardship Initiative (HUBS) , anchored at the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability invites you to a panel discussion and networking reception around the Future of Biodiversity.

Biodiversity underpins our planet’s life support systems, yet views differ on why biodiversity matters. On one end of the spectrum, nature matters because it supports the well-being of people, primarily through natural capital (the “utilitarian” perspective). On the other end of the spectrum, the diversity of nature has an intrinsic value, given its 3.9 billion years of evolutionary history, most of that in the absence of humans (the “nature for nature” perspective).

This panel will explore these contrasting perspectives and how they can be reconciled. In doing so, we examine the roles and responsibilities humans bring to the table, whether it is protecting pristine environments, enjoying wildlife, or utilizing nature for its ecosystem services.

Featured speakers include:

• Alexandre Antonelli: Executive Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Professor of Biodiversity and Systematics at the University of Gothenburg; Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford; and Distinguished Scientist and Visiting Professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is also a Trustee of WWF International, President and Co-Founder of the Antonelli Foundation for Biodiversity Research and Conservation, and Founder of the Hidden Universe: Biodiversity initiative. Antonelli is an elected fellow of multiple scientific academies, including the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Biology.
• Steve Polasky: Regents Professor and Fesler-Lampert Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics at the University of Minnesota; Principal Investigator and Co-Founder of NatCap TEEMs; and Co-Founder of the Natural Capital Alliance.
• Rachel Gallery: Thomas Lovejoy Endowed Chair and Professor of Microbial Ecology at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment; Founding Director of the Lovejoy Center.

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation followed by a reception to connect with fellow attendees.

This event is co-sponsored by the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies.