Sir David Attenborough to lead celebration of global conservation success

#EarthOptimism is a global movement that invites people to celebrate the many wins that the conservation movement has achieved for nature and inspire them to get involved. 

Sir David Attenborough said: “While we cannot ignore the threats to nature, there are a growing number of examples of improvements in the health of species and habitats, along with benefits to human well-being, thanks to conservation action.  But conservation cannot succeed through experts alone. The decisions that we all make in our day-to-day lives are critical for its success.”
 
The day’s celebrations will include “Stories of Hope”, a series of lectures on the theme of #EarthOptimism with speakers including Jane Goodall, Sir David Attenborough and Harvard psychologist Steve Pinker; and a public “Solutions Fair”, where over 30 organizations will present practical, planet-saving changes we can all make in our everyday lives. 

TRAFFIC will be represented at the Solutions Fair through its partnership with the FairWild Foundation who are co-hosting an exhibition stand with Pukka Herbs where “Love Tea”, made with FairWild-certified ingredients will be served. 

Wild plant ingredients are used in myriad consumer products, although few consumers realize this. Many of the plant species used are threatened through increasing harvesting and use, affecting nature and people. 

The FairWild Standard was developed to address this threat aiming to ensure the continued use and long-term survival of wild species and populations in their habitats, while respecting traditions and cultures, and supporting the livelihoods of all stakeholders.

One change we will be encouraging visitors to the stand to make in their everyday lives to help protect the planet is to buy FairWild-certified products, knowing the wild plant ingredients have been sustainably sourced and the harvesters received a fair payment for their endeavours

Anastasiya Timoshyna, TRAFFIC’s Programme Leader Medicinal PlantsPukka Herbs is a well-known producer of herbal teas. Currently 25 of their products include wild-sourced plant ingredients that are certified by FairWild as being harvested sustainably and with buyers paying fair prices to the suppliers. 

Pukka started with the intention of bringing people closer to the incredible power of plants through a delicious cup of herbal tea. Once we connect with plants we are better able to connect with the planet around us and with ourselves. Part of this commitment to connecting with plants means acting responsibly towards nature's treasure chest of healing herbs. We passionately believe in conservation through commerce and want to be at the helm of a movement towards making this the norm across all businesses,” said Sebastian Pole of Pukka Herbs. 

#Earth Optimism Cambridge is being hosted by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI), the unique collaboration between the University of Cambridge and leading internationally-focused biodiversity conservation organizations clustered in and around Cambridge, UK.

It is one of 25 simultaneous celebrations of success taking place around the world, from Hong Kong to Washington, and for those unable to attend in Cambridge, the lectures will live streamed online.
 
Dr Rosie Trevelyan, Director of the Tropical Biology Association and Chair of CCI Council said, “We are really excited to be hosting #EarthOptimism in Cambridge. By sharing stories of success that have resulted from conservation work around the world we hope to inspire people, as well as demonstrate how each one of us has the potential to have a positive impact on our planet.”

The Cambridge Conservation Initiative is a unique collaboration between nine conservation organisations and the University of Cambridge seeking to transform biodiversity conservation. The CCI partners are BirdLife International, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Cambridge Conservation Forum (CCF), IUCN, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), RSPB, TRAFFIC, Tropical Biology Association (TBA), UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre, University of Cambridge.