Next Webinar: Connecting People & Nature – can technology bring us closer?

Published on:

Connecting People & Nature

Nature conservation is not only a subject made of facts and scientific data. In a continent densely populated, with the largest population growth taking place in urbanised environments, we need to reconnect people with the natural processes around them. Nature is our life supporting system. When we lack quality experiences, apathy towards environmental concerns is more likely to manifest, as we are unable to see the importance of preserving it. Nature conservation is not only a subject made of facts and scientific data, it depends on people´s attitudes.

Recent publications are shedding new light on what really influences our attitudes and decision-making processes. Although our human capacity of making choices based on rational analysis, most of our decisions are instinct-driven, based on (unconscious) emotional connections. 

We need to spark a deeper connection with people’s heart, and stop speaking only to their rational minds.

Can technology bring us closer?

Technology is evolving at a pace faster than ever, bringing new opportunities for nature conservation initiatives. The use of drones (unmanned aerial vehicles), for instance, is a growing trend that is helping Parks collecting useful data for mapping, monitoring vegetation or as wildfire detector. But can we combine technology to enhance people´s connection to nature? 

In this webinar, we will hear how 2 entrepreneurs are using technology to reach out to new audiences. They see technology as a bridge, that allows people to experience and virtually visit places that would otherwise be impossible to reach.

Join our interactive webinar on the 6th June at 15:00 CEST to learn about the innovative social work of Restore Coral in Mexico, discover a new storytelling tool for conservation with Explorer.Land, and have the chance to directly interact with our invited guests. You will be able to join with your camera and microphone.

Art & Technology for the conservation of Mexican Coral Reefs

Restore Coral is an NGO based in Mexico that works for the restoration of coral reefs in the Mesoamerican Reef System. Through socialinnovation, art and the use of emerging technologies like virtual reality, they seek to increase public awareness about the importance of protecting coral reefs, while supporting the development of socially responsible strategies, with strong involvement of local communities and schools.

In June 2018, the White Syndrome was detected in Puerto Morelos and can currently be found throughout the entire Mexican Caribbean coast. It is a disease that has alarmingly increased in the past six months, and Restore Coral is part of the group composed of NGOs and governments, that is implementing an Action Plan to reduce the stress factors that damage the coral reef.

Roberto will also tell us about the fantastic step that has been taken in Mexico: environmental education has been included in the Constitutional Right of Education and will be a mandatory subject in all schools in Mexico.

Roberto Cerda is an action-oriented civic society leader, founder of Restore Coral. One of his big commitment has been to bring to attention to the restoration agenda of the coral reef restoration in Mexico. Today he’s a member of the Resilience Action Plan to save coral from the White Syndrome.

Explorer.Land, a new storytelling tool for Forest Conservation Projects

Open Forests is a company based in Germany dedicated to support sustainable landscape projects to thrive. They develop integrated information management systems for forestry, agroforestry and conservation projects and support organizations to acquire satellite-, drone-, and field data.

Understanding that many of the conservation projects around the globe often lack marketing resources to properly tell their successful conservation stories and show real evidence to their funders the outcomes of their activities, Open Forests recently launched the Explorer.Land.

It is a map-based online platform, designed to present forest landscape projects and to communicate their activities. Unlike other social media and presentation platforms – where content is mainly shared in a timeline -, explorer.land allows all published content, like posts, photos, videos to be shown in its geographical context on top of interactive high-resolution maps.

Patrick will guide us through the platform and share some conservation stories from across the globe.

Patrick Ribeiro is founder and CEO of Open Forests. His expertise in drone imagery and image processing for forestry and landscape related projects, made him build up the idea of Explorer.Land, which he is currently managing.

How to join?

Webinars are open not only to EUROPARC members – but to everyone with an interest in Protected Areas. Participation is free but registration is necessary. Register here.

In this interactive webinar, participants will be able to join in with their own video camera, share examples from their parks and direct their questions to the invited guests.

Please note that to enter the webinar room, you will be asked to install the ZOOM app, which you can do in your laptop, smartphone or tablet.
PreviousNext