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The protection of biodiversity is a global challenge which affects everyone, and now The University of Nottingham is inviting researchers and members of the public to come together to talk about the issues facing the planet – with the help of BBC presenter Kate Humble.
Britain’s biodiversity is constantly changing. Since the end of the last Ice Age, the flora, fauna and human populations have been transformed. Some species have been brought to extinction, others have been reintroduced – with the rates and responses fluctuating over time according to changing environments, human practices and cultural attitudes to nature.
People and biodiversity
Today many people see the natural world as something that has been tarnished by humans and there are drives to see Britain, and many other regions of the world, returned to a perceived ‘natural’ state through re-wilding with extinct or locally extirpated species.
To understand the complexity of the interaction between people and biodiversity and determine appropriate courses of action for the future is beyond the capabilities of any single discipline or interest group.
Conservation initiatives, such as the management of deliberately introduced species or the preservation of threatened species, often fail because the groups running these initiatives do not engage adequately with the cultural aspects that are critically entangled with the plants, animals and the policy creators themselves.
Engaging with members of the public
It is time for those involved with biodiversity research to talk to each other and better engage with members of the public.
This event, which is hosted by television presenter Kate Humble, aims to encourage precisely this, helping to create discussion and collaboration between those with different perspectives with the aim of looking at future solutions to major problems.
Kate said: "This debate comes at a crucial time for the future health of our planet and importantly brings together scientists and experts from a range of disciplines to address the challenges.
"It will be fascinating to see how different perspectives and ideas come together and whether this sort of collaboration can result in robust solutions. It promises to be a lively and invigorating event."
Kate will chair a panel of experts in the field of biodiversity on Wednesday June 1 between 6pm -7.30pm at the Clive Granger Building on University Park Campus.
The event is free to attend and open to the public. To register your place, visit the website.
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Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.
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