It was fantastic to see some of our clients, candidates, friends and colleagues at the Nature Based Solutions Conference hosted at Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History in June and sponsored by our clients Global Canopy and WWF.
A key focus of this year’s conference was the merging of indigenous wisdom and scientific research to develop solutions to climate challenges, which are rooted in our relationship with nature and the natural world. Over three days, experts, decision-makers, and Indigenous leaders gathered to discuss how nature can help solve climate change, health, and food security issues. This led to some fascinating and insightful discussions.
Zoe, our Head of Practice for Environment, Climate and Conservation, and Dom, our Head of Practice for Education & Philanthropy were both present to enjoy presentations and keynote speeches from Niki Mardas, Mac McCartney, Dr Lyla June, Dr Cristiane Fontes, Mindahi Crescencio Bastida Muñoz and many more.
A standout session was led by Oxford economist Kate Raworth (of doughnut economics) and Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Director of Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Growth economics has shaped the modern world. However, both rightly question if focusing on GDP expansion is sustainable within planetary limits and beneficial for human well-being. Raworth advocates for a new economic model for the 21st century, one that emphasises health, sustainability, and wellness over perpetual growth. In this creative session with Beamer, they explored how economic systems and organising principles can draw inspiration from traditional Native Hawaiian practices of wealth creation, resource distribution, and environmental stewardship. The two quite literally built a bridge between these different ways of thinking in front of our eyes.
“The NBS conference was inspiring, insightful & thought provoking! It provided me a good insight in various perspectives and linkages beyond market mechanism. Some of the highlights include the significance of indigenous knowledge, traditional belief and spiritual systems in nature conservation, the linkage between nature mental health and how our financial systems and economic models need to undergo radical changes to for a sustainable, equitable and just world!”
Prashant Mahajan, Head, Ecosystems & Climate Change at Mandai Nature, about key takeaways
Overall, this was a breath of fresh air of a conference, enabling its delegates to build genuine connections alongside knowledge and ideas sharing. There were ceremonial spaces, workshops, art and a water pilgrimage, not to mention exceptional food. There were no Apps, headphones or QR codes in sight here. Bravo to the organisers.
Dom attended the conference as a Fire Keeper in support of the newly launched Ostara Collective. Ostara aims to help restore our relationship with nature and spark new collective thinking and dreaming. It seeks to inspire, nurture and connect ideas and organisations on the same path, and co-create a thriving, joyful future in service to the web of life.
Ostara convened day 3 of the conference, inviting in wisdom keepers from around the world, and offering the ceremonial activities that ran alongside the programme, including a Water Pilgrimage and a Nature Walk. By bringing ceremony and indigeneity to proceedings, Ostara was seeking to bridge head and heart, and connect participants, and the wider public, to the very essence of what they were there to discuss – the natural world and our reciprocal relationship with it.
As a Fire Keeper, Dom was part of a team inviting participants to engage with the ceremonial space outside the Museum building, of which the centre piece was a Tlalmanalli, a physical representation of the elements and directions. The fire lit at the opening ceremony was sustained throughout the conference, as a candle flame that was walked to and from the venue every day, and used to light a ceremonial fire each evening just outside Wytham Woods. The Fire Keepers were responsible for transporting the flame, and tending the fire through the night in shifts (Dom’s shift was midnight to 3am!), with the same flame lighting the closing ceremony fire and being extinguished at the end of the ceremony.
Find out more – https://www.naturebasedsolutionsoxford.org/
