Video: Najam Speaks at Boston Biodiversity Talks
Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, spoke as part of the Boston Biodiversity Talks organized by the Luc Hoffman Institute and held at Boston University on May 30, 2019.
The Boston Biodiversity Talks brought together global thought leaders from diverse sectors and backgrounds for a unique event to engage in an initial dialogue underpinning the Biodiversity Revisited initiative. The event gave participants a chance to participate in the early reframing of biodiversity. The biosphere – the film of life that envelops our planet and sustains humanity – is being severely degraded by human action.
In his talk, Najam explained how different types of biodiversity “speaks” to him. He suggested that we do not need a new term for “biodiversity”, but instead must change how we perceive biodiversity loss.
Prior to the Boston Biodiversity Talks, the Luc Hoffman Institute hosted a May 29, 2019 steering committee meeting for a major project entitled “Biodiversity Revisited: Sparking A New Approach To Research For The Biosphere,” at 121 Bay State Road.
Najam chaired the meeting which convened interdisciplinary experts for an intensive collaborative research process to critically evaluate what has come before – and to think creatively about the future of the science and policy that underpin biodiversity conservation.
Biodiversity Revisited is an initiative of the Luc Hoffmann Institute, in collaboration with ETH Zürich, Future Earth, University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, University College London Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research and WWF. The initiative exists thanks to generous funding from the NOMIS Foundation, the MAVA Foundation and WWF International.
The Luc Hoffman Institute was created by WWF and the MAVA Foundation in 2011 to create stronger links between biodiversity science and conservation action. At this event the Institute unveiled its new research strategy to launch the second phase of its activities. The focus will shift from a project base to developing solutions through convening, providing thought leadership for new conservation approaches, incubating emerging ideas, providing insights into new challenges and conducting rapid-response dialogues.
Adil Najam is the inaugural dean of the Pardee School and was a former Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences in Lahore Pakistan. Learn more about him here.