The milestone of Hilde Eggermont
Wants to restore biodiversity by 2030
Uniting different worlds
Hilde stresses the importance of the interaction between biodiversity and climate change. “Policymakers are not sufficiently aware that many of the solutions to climate change can be found in nature. Moreover, it’s still hard to get climate and biodiversity scientists to work together. They don’t always see the link between both challenges, and they don’t always speak the same language. A conference could lower this threshold and could help to bridge both worlds.”
Approaching the same topic from multiple perspectives is generally very refreshing, according to Hilde. “We have to involve the business sector in nature conservation and get inspired. I’d to love to hear, for example, the story of the CEO of Patagonia, showing how making a profit doesn’t have to come at the Earth’s expense.”
“Policymakers are not sufficiently aware that many of the solutions to climate change can be found in nature.”
“For sure, conferences still have added value today”, Hilde continues. “Meeting each other in real life, networking, fostering social contact ... it’s more important than ever. And what happens in the conference corridors is often as important as what happens on stage.”
Benchmark for future conferences
In 2024, the IUCN Regional Conservation Forum will take place in the Flemish city of Bruges. As vice-president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Hilde strives to have sustainability at the heart of the event. “Flanders is at the forefront of organising sustainable conferences”, she says. “With the IUCN Regional Conservation Forum, we aim to integrate sustainability in every aspect of our event: catering, transportation, accommodation and conference equipment. We want to set the bar high, and set a benchmark for future conferences, within IUCN and beyond.”
“Flanders is at the forefront of organising sustainable conferences.”
Which milestone would Hilde like to see happening during her career? “I’d love to witness a drastic increase in biodiversity, obviously! Even if we missed out on previous biodiversity goals, I remain optimistic about the future. We can still get there if we deeply transform our society. I’m not just talking about small changes. It also implies changes in our relationship with nature, our economy, political structure and consumption behaviour. I believe such societal transformation can start turning the tide by 2030.”
