The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was in Cambridge this month to give the inaugural The Cambridge Conservation Initiative (CCI) Guest Lecture. Mr Benn welcomed the creation of The Cambridge Conservation Initiative as a key player in helping to evaluate and communicate the importance of ecosystems and biodiversity. He stressed the need to articulate clearly the science, and specifically the numbers, that show how ecosystems underpin economic prosperity, and to act on the economic opportunities that biodiversity conservation offers.
Afterwards, CCI leaders met with the Secretary of State at a reception at Judge Business School. ‘It was encouraging to hear Mr Benn speak so passionately about the vital role biodiversity plays in underpinning a sustainable economy,’ commented CCI Executive Director Dr Mike Rands. ‘It is vitally important that the UK government demonstrates at home, and champions globally, the need for integrating the conservation and management of biodiversity into policies addressing climate change, food production and energy supply’.
About CCI:
One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is to understand and manage human impacts on the biosphere, and in particular on biodiversity.
The Cambridge Conservation Initiative represents a critical mass of expertise – on a scale unparalleled anywhere in the world – at the interface of research and education, policy and action, for the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems. It exists to:
- Foster and champion a comprehensive understanding of the values of biological diversity and the urgent need for sustainable biodiversity conservation.
- Engage with and provide analysis to inform the processes of decision-making by government, industry and civil society in local, national and international contexts.
- Increase the effectiveness of conservation actions by catalysing innovative and collaborative interdisciplinary work that delivers sustainable solutions for natural resource management.
- Enhance global leadership and knowledge exchange through training and networking leaders from research, practice, government and business communities.
Our vision is to secure a sustainable future for biodiversity and humanity through an effective partnership of leaders in conservation research, education, public and private policy and action.
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