Elephants, Biodiversity and Climate Change
About the event
From meeting elephants in mountain gorilla habitat, and making the first study of elephants underground, in the caves of Mount Elgon, Kenya, to lobbying for apes and elephants at the UN, Ian Redmond has been an elephant advocate for half a century. Hear why he has dedicated his life to these animals in this fascinating talk describing their essential role in ecosystems. Elephants are keystone species in the natural habitats of 50 countries – 37 in Africa and 13 in Asia – and yet their numbers have fallen from tens of millions to under half a million in Africa and a tenth of that in Asia. The conservation of elephants and their habitat is essential for climate stability and healthy, biodiverse ecosystems; this could be financed by payment of ecosystem services attributable to these mega-gardeners of the forest and savannah.
About the speaker
Ian Redmond is an independent wildlife biologist and conservationist, renowned for his work with apes and elephants, the subjects of his many books, reports, articles and TV documentaries. He established and chairs the Ape Alliance, www.4apes.com and serves as: the Born Free Foundation’s representative in FSC, was an Ambassador for the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species 2010-2024, is Head of Conservation for www.ecoflix.com and a co-founder of www.rebalance.earth.
He describes himself as a naturalist by birth, a biologist by training and a conservationist by necessity. As well as research into gorilla parasites and underground elephants, Ian has discovered new species, led anti-poacher patrols, advised governments and worked with UN agencies. He has guided film crews and special interest tours into close encounters with apes, elephants, and erupting volcanoes. In 2000, Ian helped set up the UN Great Apes Survival Partnership www.UN-GRASP.org and served as Envoy until 2012. His focus now is educating people about the role animals play as #GardenersoftheForest, savannahs and oceans, helping to fight climate change and biodiversity-loss, and exploring how to lift neighbouring communities out of poverty through payment for ecosystem services attributable to animals (PESA) using cutting edge technology such as AI and blockchain.
Accessibility information
| Wheelchair accessible? | Yes |
| Hearing loops? | Yes |
| Seating? | Yes |
| Refreshments? | No |
| Flashing lights? | No |
| Loud noises? | No |
For more information, please visit our accessibility webpage.
