The Saiga Saga: Reasons for Optimism about Biodiversity

In conjunction with Steyning for Trees. This event is kindly sponsored by MAYO WYNNE BAXTER.

Dame E. J. Milner-Gulland, Professor of Biodiversity at Oxford University will be speaking at Wilton Park (Wiston House) on Saturday 1st June at 6.30 for 7pm. on Reasons for Optimism About Biodiversity . She is Chair of the Darwin Expert Committee and sits on numerous international groups involved in Conservation Science

Dame Eleanor Jane is a former pupil of Steyning Grammar School and was taught by David Buckett, co-chair of Steyning for Trees. She will be talking about saving the Saiga Antelope from extinction. Its population plummeted by more than 90%, Saiga horn had great value in the Far East as part of traditional medicine. This was featured on the Planet Earth TV programmes with David Attenborough. A headline read “Floppy-nosed antelope has baby boom raising hope for endangered species”. It wouldn’t win a beauty competition but it is quite cute!

Professor Dame E.J. Milner-Gulland is Tasso Leventis Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford. She is Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science in the Department of Biology; a group of around 40 researchers covering a range of research areas within the broad area of understanding, predicting and mitigating biodiversity impacts, and monitoring and evaluating conservation interventions for their social and biodiversity outcomes. This includes large programmes on food systems, Nature Positive transitions, the wildlife trade, and social justice and equity. She aims to ensure that all the research in her group is addressing issues identified by practitioners and policy-makers, is carried out collaboratively with end-users, and builds the capacity of early-career conservationists, particularly in low-income countries. She has launched a number of initiatives which aim to change the real-world conversation around conservation, including the Nature-Positive Universities intiative and the Conservation Optimism movement. She is the Chair of the UK Government’s Darwin Expert Committee and sits on the Defra Biodiversity Expert Committee and HM Treasury Biodiversity Valuation group, as well as sitting on numerous international working groups and chairing two Boards of Trustees. She has two Honorary Doctorates, has won four awards for her research and was made a Dame of the British Empire for services to international conservation in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours. Internally she served as Head of Department through the merger between Zoology and Plant Sciences, then Associate Head for People in the Biology Department.

SATURDAY 1st JUNE
6.30pm for 7.00pm at Wilton Park, Wiston House
£12.50 to include a welcome drink on arrival.