Traditional Leadership

At its heart, Nature Needs Half is about a respectful and fulfilling way of life that sustains people and nature. Indigenous leaders have helped shape this vision. Their science and wisdom is an integral part of the Nature Needs Half community.

South Dakota, USA/Photo by Andrew James
'We must share everything with the Earth because the Earth gives us everything physical and spiritual. Nature Needs Half is based on that.... the right relationship between Earth and all her peoples.'

Tashka Yawanawa & Laura Soriano Yawanawa – Chief, Yawanawa People, Brazil

See what other Indigenous leaders say about Nature Needs Half

President, Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways, Alaska USA

Ilarion Merculieff

'Nature Needs Half is a coalition of people and doing the kind of work that Mother Earth needs now, with life support systems being pushed to the edge and many species of fish and wildlife, as well as habitat, being destroyed at an unprecedented rate. This effort is supported by Indigenous peoples across the world, me included.'

Salish Educator, Cultural historian, Montana, USA

Julie Cajune

'Earth is our mother and giver of all things to all people.  The right relationship with her  is basic and essential  to the health and well-being of all people. Nature Needs Half is based on that principle, and supports native peoples cultures and lands. We need Nature Needs Half.'

(former) Grand Chief, DehCho First Nations, Canada

Herb Norwegian

'Our plan is to protect more than 50 percent of our territory in interconnected conservation zones, a figure that I believe is a good rule of thumb for all First Nations to pursue to ensure the future of the land and the wildlife that lives on it.'

Browse Our Articles

Welcome Julie!
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  About: Julie Cajune is a citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. She has been fortunate to have grown up and worked in the homeland of her Salish...

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6 Steps to Effective Conservation Collaboration
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  6 No-Nonsense Steps to More Effective Indigenous Conservation Collaborations   Far too often we allow the unspoken norms of Western culture to dictate our interactions with the rest of...

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Second Chance for Earth's Future
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  Ilarion Merculieff has more than forty years experience serving his people, the Unangan (Aleut) of the Pribilof Islands and other Indigenous Peoples locally, nationally, and internationally in a number...

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Who Protects the Most Wilderness?
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Help inform others about Nature Needs Half by downloading and sharing this infographic! To download the graphic, right click on the image and select "Save Image."

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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!