Saturday Keynote Address

Saturday, November 23, 7:00 pm – Collectively Envisioning the Future of Bird Conservation, sponsored by Zeiss

Dr. Naamal De Silva, Vice President for Together for Birds at the American Bird Conservancy (ABC)

What do birds need to thrive? How can we get more people engaged in caring for birds and wild places? Effectively protecting wild birds requires the creativity, dedication, and participation of far more people than are currently involved. American Bird Conservancy (ABC), which has been working for birds throughout the Americas for thirty years, has always believed that bird conservation benefits from strong partnerships across numerous communities and groups. Dr. De Silva will use examples from ABC’s Conservation and Justice fellowship program to illuminate ways in which we can collectively envision a future where we celebrate the existence of all birds and all people, where wild places are abundant, accessible, and ethically co-managed.

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Dr. Naamal De Silva leads work on “Together for Birds” at the American Bird Conservancy, advocating for the wellbeing of birds and people. She periodically teaches environmental justice at George Washington University and previously worked on globally threatened species and Key Biodiversity Areas at Conservation International. Naamal was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Washington, DC, and cares deeply about community, wild beings and places, history, and cities.