Protecting & Restoring Nature

Speakers cover the stewardship of natural areas and the protection and restoration of habitats, species, and whole ecosystems. Focuses include wildlands, oceans, rivers and lakes, arctic and high mountain areas, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and endangered species. Programs also include photographic and video presentations showing the natural world as well as presentations on outdoor adventure and ecotourism.

Ecosystem Stewardship. The protection and restoration of particular aspects of the natural world are increasingly recognized as dependent on the protection and restoration of whole areas, or ecosystems, consisting of interdependent and interacting species and natural resources. Stewardship is the growing awareness that humans have an ethical obligation, both to future generations and to other species, to nurture - to protect and restore - these whole systems. More >>

Endangered Species & Wildlife Habitat. We are currently experiencing the greatest mass extinction of species in 70 million years. Efforts to halt this decline, save individual species, and preserve and restore habitat areas are vitally important for a wide range of reasons. See Chris Palmer, Katie Alvord, Pete McCloskey, George Divoky, Tim Herd, Peter Bronski, Rusty Johnson, Rob Caughlan, and Rick Johnson.

Natural Land Conservation. There are many important benefits of conserving natural undeveloped land, and there are likewise many organizations using a wide range of strategies, techniques and tools for achieving those benefits. See Mark Van Putten, Bill Birchard, Huey Johnson, Katie Alvord, Gloria Flora, Mary Pearl, Roger Ballentine, Rick Johnson, and Debbie S. Miller.

ANWR: Oil Vs. Preservation. The debate about extracting oil from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is likely to keep coming back every time the oil supply seems short, and that may be often in the years ahead. The protection of this refuge will take constant vigilance. See Debbie S. Miller, Darcy Hitchcock, Dune Lankard, George Divoky, and Wil Burns.

Arctic & High Mountain Ecosystems. These are among the most fragile and endangered ecosystems on the planet. Mountain glaciers are retreating all over the world, and the polar bear was recently acknowledged to be a threatened species - put in jeopardy by the rapidly shrinking arctic sea ice upon which it depends for hunting and survival. See George Divoky, Raymond Bradley, and Debbie S. Miller.

Ocean Protection & Restoration. Oceans are threatened by toxic pollution, nutrient pollution, plastics, overfishing, global warming, loss of coastal wetlands, invasive species, and more. If the damage to ocean ecosystems isn't allowed to go too far, protective programs can sometimes lead to restoration of ocean ecosystems and fisheries. See Rob Caughlan, David Helvarg, Alfredo Quarto, Pete McCloskey, Ross Klein, Richard Roshon, Roger Ballentine, Dune Lankard, Kate Troll, and Wil Burns.

Coasts & Beaches. Rising sea levels and more powerful storms are eroding coastlines and beaches while dams hold back the flow of sand and gravel that historically has renewed them. Coastal development, water pollution, and decline of barrier reefs and islands further degrade our coasts and beaches. Efforts are growing to protect and restore the oceans' edges. See Rob Caughlan, David Helvarg, and Michael Klubock.

Estuaries, Deltas, Mangrove Swamps, Coastal Wetlands, Levies & Dead Zones. Dams, agricultural runoff, nonpoint source water pollution, soil erosion, coastal development and filling, coastal fish farming, flood control projects, and a variety of related facilities and activities threaten these critical water ecosystems elements. See David Helvarg, Alfredo Quarto, Chris Maser, and Jerry Meral.

Fisheries Management, Protection & Restoration. Overfishing is strip mining the oceans. Destructive fishing technologies are damaging ocean ecosystems. Critical fishery areas are being damaged by pollution, global warming, and other assaults. Without a concerted campaign to protect and restore fisheries, a growing number will decline or collapse. See David Helvarg and Wil Burns.

Whales & Marine Mammals. Marine mammals are threatened by everything from ocean pollution and floating plastic to legal and illegal killing to global warming to dead zones. Protecting them and protecting ocean ecosystems go hand-in-hand. See David Helvarg, Wil Burns, and Richard Roshon.

River & Lake Protection & Restoration. Rivers and freshwater lakes can be threatened by urban and industrial wastewater discharges, excessive diversion for human use, dams and reservoirs, urban development, riparian and lakeshore development, wetland loss, forestry operations, agricultural runoff and related soil erosion, and more. See Tim Palmer, Mark Dubois, Max Finkelstein, Peter Lavigne, Jacques Leslie, Rob Caughlan, and Jerry Meral.

Dam Construction & Removal. The construction or removal of a dam is often a hot issue around which a community, a region or a country will struggle for years or even decades. There are no easy answers, but it is a topic that continues to be the focus of intense attention. See Mark Dubois and Jacques Leslie.

Nature - Visual Programs. Some programs on nature subjects come with stunning visuals - slides and/or video. See Tim Palmer, Debbie S. Miller, Chris Palmer, John Ivanko, Tim Herd, and Richard Roshon.

Outdoor Adventure. Covers nature travel of all kinds - mountain climbing, river canoeing, ocean kayaking, rainforest excursions. See Arlene Blum, Peter Bronski, Max Finkelstein, Rusty Johnson, Tim Palmer, Debbie S. Miller, George Divoky, and Richard Roshon.

Ecotourism. Tourism and recreation done in more sustainable ways, and tourism channeled to provide economic support for the protection and conservation of natural resources. More >>

Send Us Your Suggestions…

We are constantly on the lookout for the best new speakers on all aspects of Protecting & Restoring Nature… speakers with the most important ideas and the most dynamic presentations. We are also always open to ideas for new Protecting & Restoring Nature related topics. Send us your speaker or topic suggestions here.

Related Topics Coming Soon…

We are working now on new topic pages in the areas listed below. They will be added here as they become available.

Ecosystem Protection
Ecosystem Restoration
Sustainable Management of Public Lands
Animal & Plant Programs
Environmental Law
Living Oceans
Coral Reefs
Wetlands
Water Pollution & Pollution Prevention