Interview with Keynote speaker: Helen Kopnina

Helen Kopnina (Northumbria University) is one of the keynote speakers at the European Congress of Conservation Biology. Her research focuses on environmental education and the relationship between biodiversity and business an issue she considers vital to life itself. Yet, according to this internationally recognised scientist, knowledge alone is not enough.

“As biodiversity conservationists, we know a great deal about species. We know where biodiversity hotspots are and how to develop strategies to protect them. But in the end, this knowledge alone does not change anything. We need to translate it into socio-economic terms. We need to start speaking a language that corporations understand.”

“We need to speak a language that corporates can understand.”

“Most corporations still believe that renewable energy will solve the climate crisis and that all problems will be resolved. They focus heavily on climate and carbon accounting, but they overlook what truly drives environmental destruction: expanding agriculture, urban development, deforestation, and mining. Land use. Today, humans account for about 35% of all biomass, cattle for 38%, and wild mammals only 5%. With nine or ten billion people to feed in the future, wind turbines and solar panels alone will not save us. Corporations need to become aware of this.”

“Corporations have the power to bring about real change, which is why shifting their perspective is urgently needed. How can we do this? By engaging with them directly within their own companies and scientific institutes. This is why I have worked at a business school for seventeen years. Corporations that embrace the value of nature and understand its complexity are more likely to adopt regenerative practices. This is the only way forward. Our economies will ultimately collapse if businesses fail to recognise and account for the voice and value of nature.”

“Education can change mindsets. This is our greatest challenge.”

“So it is clear: we need conservationists in commercial environments. And secondly, we need education. Education at all levels from primary schools to all university programmes and lifelong learning. We must teach people, young and old, about life on Earth and the intrinsic value of nature. About how we are, today, creating the dinosaurs of tomorrow. We need to raise awareness that humans, like all other living beings, are embedded in ecosystems that form the heart of the living world. Through education, we can shape tomorrow’s teachers and change mindsets this is our greatest challenge.”