Half-Earth Day Celebrated on 23 October 2017

Monday, October 23, marked the first-ever Half-Earth Day.  The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and National Geographic timed the event to occur exactly half a year after Earth Day (April 22). But Half-Earth Day also gets its name from the biodiversity conservation initiative spearheaded by renowned biologist and conservationist Edward O. Wilson, discussed in his 2016 book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life. Wilson’s idea, which is backed up by research, is that we can protect 85 percent of Earth’s biodiversity by conserving half of the world’s land and seas.

“The Half-Earth approach is not only science-based, but it will also expand fundamental science into new directions,” Wilson, who is a research professor emeritus at Harvard, said in a statement. “The goal of discovering and mapping all biodiversity, and especially at the level of species, will lead to immense new knowledge in basic and applied biology.”

“Our planet is at a crossroads, and there is both an opportunity and a critical need to act now, and to do so boldly,” Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, said in a statement. “National Geographic is proud to convene the first-ever Half-Earth Day to inspire people everywhere to understand and care for our world, furthering our progress toward a healthier and more sustainable future for generations to come.”

Read More: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/10/half-earth-day-to-be-celebrated-next-week/