We are delighted to report that our Director of Strategic Conservation, Dr Simon Stuart, has been awarded the 2020 Blue Planet Prize, the esteemed international environmental award sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation. Every year, the Foundation selects two winners, individuals or organisations who have made significant contributions to the [...]
Jon Paul Rodríguez is the current Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC). When the former Chair of the Commission, Simon Stuart, left the post in 2016 after 8 years, he joined Synchronicity Earth as Director of Strategic Conservation. The two men go back a long way, [...]
This summer, thousands of people are streaming through the gates of Kew Gardens for the widely advertised Chihuly exhibition of huge colourful sculptures inspired by natural patterns. But when Synchronicity Earth’s staff visited last week, they were led past the glass Sapphire Star by Kew’s research team, who showed them the science and conservation [...]
Many conservation efforts are concentrated on the iconic threatened species: tigers, pandas and polar bears. Their familiar, fluffy faces draw our eyes, melt our hearts and open our purse strings. However, sometimes a happy accident can lead to a rediscovery of a forgotten species. But, what then? How can we put a neglected frog [...]
At the end of 2016, Dr Simon Stuart completed his tenure as Chair of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Species Survival Commission after 8 years in the position, and more than 30 years with the IUCN. In January this year, Simon joined Synchronicity Earth as our Director of Strategic Conservation. We [...]
A brief Q & A with Alison Sudol, aka Queenie Goldstein. Alison Sudol plays Queenie Goldstein in the latest JK Rowling offering, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which opened in the UK on November 18th. In the midst of the whirlwind lead up to the film’s release, Alison took time out to answer [...]
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Conservation Congress, held every 4 years, took place in Hawaii in early September. As IUCN Patrons of Nature, this is the second congress Jessica and Adam Sweidan have attended - the first was in Jeju, South Korea in 2012. A lot can change in four years… [...]
In 2012, I attended the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Jeju, South Korea. I had been in my job at Synchronicity Earth for just over a year and was also in the throes of writing up my PhD thesis, looking at conservation networks and mountain gorilla conservation. My head was full to the [...]
The World Conservation Congress (in Hawaii) came hot on the heels of the World Congress of Herpetology (in China). Having just corrected 7 hours of jet lag East, I piled on another 11 hours of jet lag West, leaving me wondering whether the ensuing discussions about protecting our world would fly clean over my nodding head. [...]
A longstanding challenge within the world of species conservation is that a vast proportion of the money, time and research is focused on “charismatic” species. This is so pronounced, that even the giraffe, a classically unique and interesting species, has suffered from lack of attention – scientists have only recently discovered that there may in [...]