Our Events
Creating and hosting events is in Synchronicity Earth’s DNA. We are in a fortunate position to be able to convene a diverse range of experts from across sectors. Whether hearing from our conservation partners, renowned scientists, artists, philosophers, or business leaders, we curate a range of events. Our hope and our goal is to share knowledge, connect people and inspire action.
Convention on Biological Diversity COP16 (Cali, Colombia)
Every two years, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) holds a Conference of Parties (COP) when delegates from governments, corporations, industry, and NGOs come together to discuss how to support global action on biodiversity.
CBD COP16 was held in Cali, Colombia, and the opportunity for us to support our partners to attend and facilitate their engagement was a key focus of our Capacity strand.
Synchronicity Earth enabled the participation of 19 grassroots partners from 10 countries (Brazil, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea), providing travel grants to 13 organisations but also tailored support such as enabling access to the Conference through Synchronicity Earth badges, guidance on registering themselves as observers to CBD meetings, assistance in the design and organisation of side events, and access to speaker roles on events relevant to their work.
Our team co-hosted three events on the sides of COP16, primarily to champion voices that are typically under-represented, such as young people and Indigenous Peoples; we also collaborated on four additional side events on platforming youth and amplifying freshwater conservation.
From mobilizing funds to mobilizing funders
The Good Funding Hub at New York Climate Week provided a platform for a series of events focusing on getting more and better funding to the great local organisations that are leading on conservation and climate impact. Synchronicity Earth co-hosted an event with Global Youth Biodiversity Network and The Iris Project to convene a conversation about the challenges of funding youth-led biodiversity initiatives, and how more progressive funders can organise together to shift entrenched power dynamics and encourage reflection.
Conservation Optimism Summit
In September, Synchronicity Earth team members attended the Conservation Optimism Summit, hosting a session on ‘Filling the gaps in global conservation’, which discussed how we can prioritise overlooked species, approaches, and skills in the sector.
It was an opportunity to share our challenges, ambitions, and solutions, as well as a moment for early-career and experienced conservationists alike to connect with each other and reconnect with their passion for this work.
The Summit served as a reminder of the progress being made around the globe to better protect our world. From turning eco-anxiety into eco-empowerment, to enhancing Indigenous and Local Communities’ autonomy, the sessions provided a space to inspire and enable: to move from frustration and hope to action.
World Congress of Herpetology
In 2024, we provided travel grants to support speakers from four countries (Ecuador, Indonesia, India, and Malaysia) to attend the World Congress of Herpetology symposium.
This support from our Amphibian Conservation Fund (a pooled fund for donors supporting Amphibian Programme partners) helped to ensure that speakers at this symposium were almost all from the ‘Global South’, all had first-hand experience working on community-based conservation in tropical countries and brought hugely valuable experience to share with early-career conservationists attending the symposium.
“Without this scholarship, it would have been impossible to participate in an event of such global relevance. Attending this conference allowed me not only to share the progress and challenges of our work, but also to highlight the strong component of working with local communities, an essential dimension in our conservation strategies.”
María del Carmen Vizcaíno, Jambato Alliance
Conservation Funders Learning Circle
From late 2024, Synchronicity Earth is convening a series of learning and collaboration discussion sessions for environmental funders interested in sharing thoughts and experience on ‘reimagining philanthropy’. Each session will be facilitated by Ameyali Ramos, Synchronicity Earth’s Reimagining Philanthropy Affiliate, who will guide the discussion, ensuring that all voices are heard and that the conversation remains focused and productive.
The objectives of the Learning Circle are:
Beyond Linear Thinking: Indigenous Knowledge & Counter-Narratives For The Future
The vast majority of the world’s remaining biodiversity can be found in the territories of Indigenous and land-based communities. As we collectively explore how to live in harmony with the rest of nature, listening and learning with those who live in cultures that support the flourishing of diverse ecosystems is an important place to start.
Synchronicity Earth brought together Shawn Wilson, Lucia Pietroiusti and Ella Saltmarshe at The Conduit for a far-reaching inter-cultural exchange to explore diverse ways of knowing and how we relate to our world. Against a backdrop of intersecting crises, we asked what counter-narratives need to be unearthed, introduced, and acted upon? The conversation explored the role of culture in the creation of knowledge and complex systems, while stretching our capacity to think long-term.
Funding Together: Pooling resources for conservation
For environmental philanthropy to reach the places it is most needed and be most effective, better collaboration among funders is key.
Synchronicity Earth held a webinar, ‘Funding together: pooling resources for conservation’, to explore how environmental funders can work together to overcome the lack of sustainable and effective funding available to smaller, locally led conservation groups in some of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions on Earth.
Sharing their insights into the lessons, challenges, and successes at this webinar were our Congo Basin Affiliate Bihini Won wa Musiti, our Youth Affiliate Swetha Stotra Bhashyam, and Kai Carter, Global Climate Initiative Director of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Read the event roundup or watch the recording >>
Chrysalis Youth Fund Launch
We were delighted to co-host an event during New York Climate Week with Atmos magazine, holding a conversation between the emerging leaders of the youth movement pioneering action for the environment to launch our Chrysalis Youth Fund.
“Whenever I talk to people who want to support youth, I tell them: We already did all the work,” said Xiye Bastida is a 21-year-old climate justice activist and organiser with Fridays For Future. “What we need is the support to stay consistent and to be able to do this as part of our lives.”
The event was introduced by Willow Defebaugh, the Cofounder and Editor-in-Chief of Atmos, then Xiye spoke alongside Ayisha Siddiqa, the co-founder of Fossil Free University and Polluters Out; Alexis Joel Grefa, a 26-year-old Kichwa river defender from Ecuador; and Christian Schwarzer of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, sharing the potential of the youth movement to create profound positive change.
Meeting at the River with Selvagem Collective
During the ‘Meeting At The River’ June 2023 series in London, Selvagem, an intersectional Indigenous-led collective from Brazil, shared ancestral, scientific, artistic and mythological knowledge through a programme of unique events. One of which was a Wild Arrows film screening and discussion at the South Bank Centre as part of their Planet Summer Festival.
This special screening of The Wild Arrows with the intersectional Indigenous-led collective from Brazil, held in collaboration between Selvagem, Flourishing Diversity, Where the Leaves Fall, Synchronicity Earth and OmVed Gardens, included a discussion between Ailton Krenak and Anna Dantes, two of the visionary forces behind the films, about the creative process and the film’s relevance to pressing global issues.
Find out more about Selvagem’s work and the Wild Arrow Films here.
Life Stories: Nemonte Nenquimo and Silvana Nihua in conversation with Alison Sudol
Touching on the strength of vulnerability, the power of community support, and their own individual experiences and challenges as women and mothers, Alison, Nemonte and Silvana held an intimate discussion about a shared vision of the future.
Nemonte Nenquimo is an Indigenous Waorani leader committed to defending her ancestral territory and her people’s survival in the Amazon rainforest. Silvana Nihua is a Waorani leader from the community of Kiwaro, deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon, advocating for the protection of the Waorani people’s territory and way of life. Alison Sudol is an artist who leans into vulnerability, weaving her love of nature into sensitive works of love, loss, trauma and joy through her career in music, film and television.
Bringing vastly different cultures and experiences to the fore, their exchange explored the central role women play in protecting nature’s biological diversity, combatting climate change, and spearheading a growing global environmental movement.
Waters of life: community action for freshwater conservation
What do rivers mean to you?
For Hugo Costa, deep in the Amazon, the seasons of the Juruá River can define the food you eat, the journeys you travel, and the people you meet. For Yolarnie Amepou, looking over a vast river delta in Papua New Guinea, ten different cultures have been shaped by the same river which runs 400 kilometres from the highlands down into the sea. For Siziwe Mota, Africa’s rivers are a source of survival, relied upon for food, jobs, spiritual practices, climate, and biodiversity.
On 17 May, Synchronicity Earth held a conversation between these three freshwater conservationists representing partners supported by the programme about the importance of their rivers, the challenges they face in safeguarding them, and the opportunities there are to protect them. Watch the recording >>
Towards a flourishing future
At the start of 2023, Synchronicity Earth launched our 2023-2028 strategy to our friends, supporters, and partners, in a pair of events in-person and online.
Just as the strategy itself is led by three overarching goals, the events reflected on Conservation, Capacity, and Culture.
Speaking on conservation at the in-person event was Isabelle Lackman, co-founder and director of Hutan, a long-term partner of Synchronicity Earth which combines community-run conservation and wildlife research in the heart of oil-palm country in Malaysian Borneo.
A key part of Synchronicity Earth’s approach is capacity: providing core funding, providing long-term support that is more than just financial and helps our partners grow, develop their networks and build up their staff. Two of our affiliates, Grace Souza (Latin America) and Julie Gagoe Tchoko (Congo Basin), as well as Casey Box from the Christensen Fund, spoke about how funders can find better ways to support partners beyond grantmaking.
Our strategy also recognises that however much of the first two we do, the curve will continue to head in the wrong direction without systemic and cultural change. ‘Plant Doctor’ Karl Png, founder of the Singapore Youth Voices for Biodiversity, and Colombian art historian Isabella Noero from Earthrise discussed with our co-Founder and Trustee Jessica Sweidan how we can influence wider cultural change for the environment.
Speaking online, we welcomed Isabelle Lackman; Alifa Haque, sawfish conservationist and Ocean Programme partner; Annette Lanjouw, Chief Executive Officer of the Arcus Foundation; Grace Souza, social scientist, activist, and Synchronicity Earth Latin America Affiliate; Christian Schwarzer, Co-Founder of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network; and Isabella Noero, Founder of the art and ecology platform ÚNA, and Head of Collaborative Partnerships at Earthrise. Watch the recording >>
Diving in: how to build a flourishing future for ocean life
The ocean is intrinsically entwined with our experience of the world, influencing our climate, our air, our food, our energy and more. Yet for many people, particularly those who live away from the coast, what is happening underwater, beyond our shores, feels too far away to contemplate or care about.
But re-establishing the vital connections between our culture and our coastlines, and a sense of shared responsibility for what happens in our ocean, is critical for a sustainable future. At this event, four extraordinary women spoke about the oceanic connections we all carry, the challenges facing marine conservation, and their hopes for the future: Jasmina Peri (BLOOM Association), Rujinun ‘Dream’ Palahan (Save Andaman Network), Alifa Haque (Bengal Elasmo Lab), and Hannah Rudd (High Seas Alliance).
From the fishing communities Alifa collaborates with, to Dream’s focus on community partnerships as a tool for conservation, the women we spoke with all emphasised that the fight for marine conservation is also a fight to restore our relationships with the ocean. Read the full summary >>
Conservation and community
Our Biocultural Diversity Programme has multiple partners in Papua New Guinea, and each organisation contributes towards conservation and strengthening the ‘Melanesian Way’ and identity. The Melanesian Way is the worldview of the Melanesian Peoples manifested through their cultural and spiritual values that inform the continuing evolution of Melanesian society, politics, economy, and land and sea stewardship.
The ‘Conservation and community’ events introduced our supporters to the importance of this untouched, but threatened, region and the importance of biocultural diversity-based conservation approaches in Papua New Guinea to tackle these threats and challenges.
The discussions were chaired by our Biocultural Diversity Programme Manager Miriam Supuma, speaking to John Aini (Ailan Awareness), Jonathan Mesulam (Alliance of Solwara Warriors), Yolarnie Amepou (Piku Biodiversity Network) and John Chitoa (Bismarck Ramu Group).
“The nuance of good partnerships between us and the communities depends on our understanding of culture,” said John Aini. “For example, donors may ask us why we purchased a pig for a feast – but feasting helps to renew and build community cohesion, it is a cultural practice, and honouring them enables the younger generation to learn.”
Nemonte Nenquimo at the Conduit
Nemonte Nenquimo is an Indigenous leader of the Waorani people in the Ecuadorean Amazon province of Pastaza, one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Nemonte gained global attention when she led a successful court action to block a proposal for oil exploration and drilling on 500,000 acres of Waorani land. Her tireless and courageous work to rally Indigenous Peoples in Ecuador to oppose oil exploitation on their territory and insist on proper consultation led to a landmark legal victory, a decision that was seen as setting a precedent for Indigenous rights in the region.
Synchronicity Earth partnered with Amazon Frontlines and Earthrise Studio to bring Nemonte to the Conduit, in London, to deliver powerful testimony of the struggles facing the Waorani, and Indigenous Peoples across the Amazon to protect their land, and to challenge us to take action to support the struggle.
Learning about Biocultural Diversity
This small, intimate event brought a group of guests together to hear about the progress SE, and the sector more widely, has made over the past two years towards more inclusive, localised and Indigenous People-led conservation based on a greater understanding and recognition of biocultural diversity. We provided an opportunity for our guests to immerse themselves in our world by meeting and celebrating with us the visit of Miriam Supuma (Synchronicity Earth Biocultural Diversity Programme Manager) visit to the UK and Grace Souza’s (Amazon Alliance coordinator, and our Latin America ‘affiliate’) recent return from Brazil.
Mini-Congress in Kinshasa
The IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in Marseille in September, 2021, against the backdrop of a continuing COVID-19 pandemic. To facilitate the participation of local partners in our Congo Basin Programme in the Congress, Synchronicity Earth sponsored and co-created a ‘Mini-Congress’ in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for eight of our Congo Basin partner organisations plus one guest organisation. The event was a huge success, with partners coming together to present their work and successes, discuss common challenges and engage together remotely with other conservationists attending the Congress in Marseille.
Virtual donor drinks: Journey with us
In June, 2021, we held a virtual donor drinks event to (re)connect with key donors to our work. We took this opportunity to share some of our partners’ stories, and to update supporters on the work they are doing across the globe, through our conservation programmes and beyond, to conserve overlooked and underfunded species and ecosystems, and the challenges they were facing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indigenous lifeways for a flourishing Earth
This Deeper Thinking webinar focused on the concept of Flourishing Diversity, which lies at the heart of our Biocultural Diversity Programme (formerly the Flourishing Diversity Programme). We were joined by an inspiring panel of speakers who shared their knowledge and experience, exploring what flourishing diversity means to them and reminding us how ecological and cultural diversity are inextricably linked.
The event, chaired by Synchronicity Earth founders Jessica and Adam Sweidan, explored diverse viewpoints with Katy Scholfield – creator of our new Biocultural Diversity Programme – and Katy Molloy, Director of Flourishing Diversity – in conversation with Dr Million Belay, Co-ordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), Kerexu Yxapyry and Tiago Karaí, Comissão Guarani Yvyrupa (CGY).
The story so far
As the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown continued, we shifted our attention to engaging with our donors and supporters online. The Story so far was a virtual ‘drinks’ designed to share updates and stories from our partners, reengaging with our supporters during a very difficult time, reassuring donors that we were continuing to support our partners working around the world to weather the combined health and economic storms brought by COVID-19.
Celebrating 10 years
We held our 10th Anniversary celebration at the Ham Yard Hotel, London, a perfect venue to bring together many of our longstanding donors, supporters and friends. This was an opportunity to thank them for what they have helped us to achieve, raise funds for our work and set out our ambition and aims for for 2020 and beyond. It was also the ideal platform to launch our new film, Bringing Conservation to Life, which received fantastic feedback.
During the evening, author and TV presenter Lucy Cooke hosted a discussion with two of our partners Citlalli Morelos-Juarez (Tesoro Escondido Reserve, Ecuador) and Marites Gatan-Balbas (Mabuwaya Foundation, the Philippines), who spoke about the work they are doing to conserve nature and improve lives in two of the most biodiverse places on Earth. We also heard from Jonathan Baillie (National Geographic), who has been a friend and advisor to Synchronicity Earth founders, Adam and Jessica Sweidan, since 2009, when the organisation was launched.
The Flourishing Diversity Summit
The Flourishing Diversity Summit in September brought 30 indigenous representatives from across the world to London, many for the first time. Arhuaco, Bishnoi, Khoisan, Ashaninka and many other indigenous peoples from across the globe came to share their cultural and ecological wisdom, connect with each other and create new opportunities to amplify their urgent and timely messages. Sessions at the Summit focused on Sacred Lands, Mother Earth and Building Alliances, while the Listening Sessions brought together Indigenous representatives with prominent Western figures from the worlds of art, politics, business, conservation and fashion.
The Summit and Listening Sessions were a co-collaboration between Synchronicity Earth, Jerome Lewis (Director) and Carolina Comanduli, of the Centre for Anthropology of Sustainability (CAOS) at UCL, Paola Bay, an artist and filmmaker and many others. The events were a tremendous success, generating extensive media interest and coverage, and sowing the seeds for future collaboration and activities through 2020 and beyond, not least at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Marseilles in June, 2020.
Meet our partners
We invited donors and supporters to come to our offices in Cursitor Street to hear from two of our partners working in the Congo Basin, alongside members of our research team, to learn why community-led approaches are key to effective conservation.
Dinner for Apes
Alongside Arcus Foundation, Synchronicity Earth organised a small, intimate dinner in New York to raise money for The Ape Endowment, a joint venture which aims to raise funds to conserve our closest living relatives.
Fabric of Life: Finale
The finale of the Fabric of Life series took place at the South Kensington Club. This was a chance to series participants and guests to reflect on what they’d learnt, what it meant for them going forward and to hear from some of our series ambassadors.
Fabric of Life: Launch
The launch of our series hearing from world-class experts that laid out the roadmap for how we would use fashion as a lens to explore the concept of (un)sustainable fashion and its impacts on biodiversity.
It’s a Frog’s Life
At the launch of our Amphibians Programme at the Bluebird Café, the brilliant Lucy Cooke and captivating Helen Meredith provided extraordinary insight into the beautiful, amusing world of amphibians, highlighting the urgent need for us to to do all we can to protect them.
Amphibian Fund launches in the USA
We have partnered with the Chicago Zoological Society (of which Dr Rabb was President for over 30 years) and we held a joint fundraising event at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in September 2018 to raise money for our Amphibian Fund to provide more long-term and flexible funding for amphibian conservation where it is most needed.