History

In 2009, Nature Needs Half was formally launched by the WILD Foundation at the 9th World Wilderness Congress (WILD9) in Merída, Mexico, boldly encouraging the conservation community to act publicly on what everyone was saying privately: nature needs half.

Meet the people and organizations who have helped make this movement what it is today.

Machu Picchu. Photo by Babak Fakhamzadeh.

Hope for Nature Starts with All of Us

TODAY

We are implementing on-the-ground actions that add up to 50% by 2030.

Will you join us?

Below you’ll find more about the evolution of our movement, an evolution that continues now. How will you help Earth's one-of-a-kind wild nature reach 50% protected?

Discover how you can help

Movement Timeline

Pre-1970s

Indigenous leaders around the world warn of a global demise of nature.

1972

Eugene and H.T. Odum publish research that concludes: “It would be prudent for planners everywhere to strive to preserve 50% of the total environment as natural environment.”

1992

Reed Noss independently arrives at the same conclusion: Nature Needs Half. Basing his research on the 1991 National Audubon Society report, he publishes his findings in Wild Earth.

Reed Noss
50% by 2050

Why 2020?

We can stop the sixth mass extinction if we protect approximately 50% of the 846 ecoregions that provide habitat for all of Earth's biodiversity. That means finding leaders and organizations around the world willing to align exisiting efforts around protecting and interconnecting nature in the region.

Learn More
1998

Soule And Sanjayan research article concludes that 50% of wildlife will be lost if 90% of habitat is disrupted: “Current policies are a prescriptions for mass biodiversity loss.”

2003

The Boreal Conservation Framework calls for protecting and interconnecting at least half of Canada’s boreal forests.

2004

A series of studies by multiple organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, conclude that approximately half of every bioregion must be protected.

2005

CPAWS (Canada) becomes the first NGO to embrace the idea of half and calls for protecting half of Canada’s public lands and waters.

2006

John Terborgh calls for protecting half the world in “Reserves: How much is enough and how do we get there?”

2009

Harvey Locke of the WILD Foundation launches the Nature Needs Half movement in the Closing Plenary of the 9th World Wilderness Congress.

Watch the WILD9 Closing Ceremony
Harvey Locke
50% by 2050

Why 2020?

We can stop the sixth mass extinction if we protect approximately 50% of the 846 ecoregions that provide habitat for all of Earth's biodiversity. That means finding leaders and organizations around the world willing to align exisiting efforts around protecting and interconnecting nature in the region.

Learn More
2010

Gary Tabor organizes a symposium on the Next Big Idea and follows up with a paper titled “Boulder Thinking for Conservation.”

2011-2015

Dozens of papers and meetings are held on the topic of protecting half as scientists and officials with how to get to 50% in time.

2016

1) E.O. Wilson publishes Half Earth. Several reviews of the book mention Nature Needs Half as evidence of a growing movement, 2) Dinerstein et al. publish “An Ecoregion Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm” and demonstrates how achieving half is still possible.

2017

Nature Needs Half Steering Committee meets for the first time to formalize planning for a global movement.

50% by 2050

Why 2020?

We can stop the sixth mass extinction if we protect approximately 50% of the 846 ecoregions that provide habitat for all of Earth's biodiversity. That means finding leaders and organizations around the world willing to align exisiting efforts around protecting and interconnecting nature in the region.

Learn More
2018

Official, coalition-building website launched, sparking wider engagement internationally. By the time of the COP14 in Egypt, submissions from the NGO sector called for a minimum of 30% protection by 2030, with others calling for a clear roadmap to 50% protection by 2050. Nature Needs Half maintains the imperative for action at the highest level as soon as possible.

How to Help

If you believe that we have a window of opportunity to end the Sixth Mass Extinction by protecting half of nature, act today and become a part of a global community transforming society's relationship with the natural world!

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Become a Member

Building political will for nature starts with building community. When your organization joins Nature Needs Half you create new opportunities for change in your region.
Donate

Support our work to protect half of nature. Your contributions go towards expanding and strengthening local coalitions around the world working to protect half of their regions.
Sign the Declaration

When you sign the Nature Needs Half Declaration you publicly declare your support for a respectful relationship with nature and build momentum for change!