AFON
Optimism – The Key to Conservation Success
April 2017 marked the inaugural Conservation Optimism Summit, a three-day event based in London attracting conservationists from across the globe; an event that aspired to give birth to a new movement, one of hope and positivity that showcases conservation successes.
The summit moves away from the typical ‘doom and gloom’ narrative that has been said to tarnish conservation communications in the past, which potentially has alienated the public, politicians and discouraged young people to consider conservation themed careers. You may think that it is sometimes difficult to be optimistic when the planet faces such serious challenges. However, I came away from the three days truly uplifted having met conservation pioneers who are striving for a better future, many of whom were young people doing extraordinary things, running innovative projects and challenging social norms.
Audiences gathered for the Conservation Optimism Summit.
Though we should always be looking to the future, at the present time it is especially important with a general election on the horizon. With a vote only weeks away, we should do what we can to raise the profile of the environment on the political agenda in all parties. It is unfortunate that so far in many political circles the environment does not seem to be a priority. Indeed during the Conservation Optimism summit a political session was arranged, in which current politicians were invited to take part within a panel session. Many accepted this offer, however, once a snap election was called all the participants withdrew from the event to focus on campaigning. Though this is only a rather minor issue, I believe it to be somewhat reflective of politics in general. These individuals could have used the summit as a platform to state their green credentials and aspirations for a healthier environment; instead they chose not to engage. This leads me to wonder in an era where climate change has the potential to catastrophically threaten human existence, and where human activities are driving a mass extinction event of the planet’s biodiversity, why is there not a greater urgency for action among the mainstream political community?
Though there are likely to be many reasons for this disengagement, I firmly believe that there is currently a widespread ecological illiteracy amongst many of our politicians, who like much of the general public are disconnected from the natural world. This in part may be a result of the lack of recognition the environment has within our school curricula: three quarters of our children spend less time outside than prison inmates. We are also losing educational opportunities in our universities. For example, in 2013 botany disappeared from degree level in the UK. Thus the educational opportunities for future politicians to learn about the natural world are dwindling, which may contribute to its rather poor profile.
Elliot chats with Edward Davey, the Liberal Democrat candidate MP for Kingston; Edward was also Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in the coalition government.
Fear not, this is not a pessimistic blog: in 2016 AFON released the highly successful ‘Vision for Nature’ report. A document prepared by young people across the nation describing a vision of optimism. Providing policy recommendations that will help to improve sustainable and wildlife-friendly agricultural practices, enhance the way in which landscapes are managed, encourage our urban centres to become greener and healthier environments and to reform our education system to greater acknowledge the natural world.
It is now time for us to be vocal about the future we would like to see. We should be openly celebrating conservation successes, using these examples to inspire not only conservationists, but also the general public and politicians. This shows that there is hope for our planet and the species we share it with if we adopt forward thinking policies that look to protect the environment and invest in conservation, alongside an education system that recognises the importance of our natural world.
AFON are now looking to move forward from our Vision for Nature report, with our Now for Nature campaign. We want to continue to promote young people’s vision of the future, and showcase the good work that young people are doing across the UK (and further afield) – how you are committed to making a difference and improving our planet. We would also love for you to engage with the political discussion, showing your local politicians how much you care for the environment and what you would like to see change.
Anna Oposa, co-founder of Save Philippine Seas.
I will finish this blog with the words of Anna Oposa, a plenary speaker at the Conservation Optimism Summit and a young conservationist who is championing and pioneering marine conservation in the Philippines. ‘’We have to stop saying young people are the leaders of the future, if we give young people the right skills and opportunities, young people can be the leaders of today”.