Whitley Fund for Nature's People for Planet Summit

Nature needs advocates. Hear live from the visionary leaders who are uniting people to save biodiversity around the world.

Join us on 8 October at London's Royal Institution - the famous auditorium where Thomas Henry Huxley defended Charles Darwin's The Origin of the Species - for our second People for Planet Summit.

Hosted by science and natural history broadcaster Liz Bonnin, this one-day event gathers Whitley Award-winning conservationists and other leaders in science, technology, finance, and the arts.

Meet six Whitley Award-winning conservationists working together with communities in some of the world’s most biodiverse countries.

Scientists estimate that between 25 and 85 percent of all species are now in the process of relocating. Warming temperatures are driving species towards the poles and species are moving towards higher elevations. A flagship talk with conservationists will focus on how species are adapting to our changing planet, from leopards and raptors to river dolphins and sharks.

Dr Drew Purves, Nature Lead at Google DeepMind, will explain how AI is helping to map the biosphere to better identify which areas of the world need the most protection and Professor Alexandre Antonelli, Executive Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, will join a panel on the future of forests and make the connection between nature and climate.

Professor Martin Wikelski of ICARUS, will discuss how tracking thousands of species from space using tiny AI sensors will help conservation. The “Internet of Animals” will deepen our understanding of species’ behaviour and their response to challenges, including climate change. Oliver Withers, Standard Chartered’s Head of Nature, will discuss how to balance the interests of the planet with the interests of investors.

We’ll also be joined by moderators Tom Heap, broadcaster, author and WFN Trustee; Luxmy Gopal, BBC News presenter and reporter; Dr Anjana Ahuja, science writer; Maeve Campbell, climate journalist; and Lara Williams, climate change columnist.

End the day with an evening of storytelling that will take you from the Amazon rainforest to Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, the last place on earth where elephants, rhinos, tigers and orangutans co-exist.

Join our award-winning conservationists, WFN Ambassador Alastair Fothergill OBE, and members of THE HERDS for an evening of storytelling with a theme of ‘Turning the Tide: the stories that inspire change’.

The most famous sequence in wildlife filmmaking is probably WFN Ambassador Sir David Attenborough’s encounter with gorillas in ‘Life On Earth’ - a baby gorilla, called Pablo, playing on David’s knees. Alastair will give us a sneak preview of his new Netflix feature that tells the amazing story of the silverback that Pablo became and his descendants today.

The theatrical production of animal puppets recently walked through London, on a 20,000 km journey from central Africa to the Arctic to engage climate change engagement. Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director will explain how thinking differently can help us to imagine a new relationship with nature.

Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) is a fundraising and grant-giving nature conservation charity, generously supported for more than 20 years by our Patron HRH The Princess Royal and WFN Ambassador and former Trustee Sir David Attenborough.

Established in 1993, it has channelled £24 million to 220 conservation leaders in 80 countries across the Global South, benefitting wildlife, landscapes, and people.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful and empowering environment for all. We celebrate diversity in nature and among the people and partners with whom we work.

To ensure the People for Planet Summit is a safe and inspiring space for all, please access the People for Planet Summit Code of Coduct here.

Info: They regulate the world’s weather and are home to millions of species but wildfires are now supercharging deforestation of tropical rainforests – causing 60 percent of the forest loss in the Brazilian Amazon last year. We talk tipping points, drought resistance, and hope from those on the ground.

Info: Tracking species from space with cheaper, lighter AI sensors - weighing as little as one gram - will be a gamechanger for conservation, according to the mastermind of ICARUS.

Professor Martin Wikelski, Director of Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, is the first conservationist to send a satellite into space to track species as small as a dragonfly. Understanding species’ response to everything from climate change to earthquakes will help to inform and transform our own.

Info: How are new technologies transforming conservation? Dolphins are now monitored with drones and passive acoustic telemetry and eDNA has led to the discovery of marine species thought to have gone extinct. Conservationists are commissioning AI sensors that can switch off wind turbines to avoid collisions with birds.

Info: Google DeepMind is partnering with others to create, for the first time, an accurate global map of the habitats and species that comprise the biosphere. This will, among other things, help policymakers and environmentalist best identify areas, such as old forests, that need the most protection. Has a lack of data on the environment held us back from protecting the planet? And what’s the role of local organizations, communities, and citizen science?

Info: Scientists estimate that between 25 percent and 85 percent of all species are on the move. Warming temperatures are driving species towards the poles and species are moving towards higher elevations. A look at how species around the world, from owls and kites to leopards and sharks, are adapting to our changing planet.

Speakers: Anjali Watson, Farwiza Farhan, Dr Munir Virani, Dr Rachel Graham, Dr Fernando Trujillo | Moderator: Luxmy Gopal

Info: From Rhino bonds to Blue bonds and carbon markets, a look at what the financial industry can do to close the $700 billion annual nature finance gap. Standard Chartered is selling forest protection carbon credits with a state in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest which will benefit Indigenous and local communities.

Speaker: Oliver Withers | Moderator: Lara Williams

Info: What is Conservation? Who is a Conservationist?

No two answers are the same but there is a deep, fundamental connection between people and nature that cut-across many definitions and perspectives.

Info: End the day with an evening of storytelling that will take you from the Amazon rainforest to Indonesia’s Leuser Ecosystem, the last place on earth where elephants, rhinos, tigers and orangutans co-exist.

Join our award-winning conservationists, WFN Ambassador Alastair Fothergill OBE, and members of THE HERDS for an evening of storytelling with a theme of ‘Turning the Tide: the stories that inspire change’. Alastair will give us a sneak preview of his new Netflix feature with WFN Ambassador, Sir David Attenborough, that tells the amazing story of Pablo the silverback and his descendants today.
The theatrical production of animal puppets recently walked through London, on a 20,000 km journey from central Africa to the Arctic to spark climate change engagement. Amir Nizar Zuabi, Artistic Director will explain how thinking differently can help us to imagine a new relationship with nature.

Host or Publisher Whitley Fund for Nature