The Nature of Nature: Why We Need the Wild

STREAMING PROGRAM INFORMATION

• This program is part of our Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.
• Platform: Zoom
• Online registration is required.
• If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.

Ecologist Enric Sala, National Geographic’s explorer-in-residence and director of its Pristine Seas project, asserts that once we appreciate how nature works, we will understand how conservation is economically wise and why it is essential to our survival.

Drawing on examples from his own research and that of other scientists, Sala illuminates the intricacies of how nature works, from the way two species interact with each other to how nine million species of plants and animals—and a trillion different types of microbes—make our planet run in a way that ensures our survival. Sala explains how, perhaps surprisingly, more sharks signal a healthier ocean; crop diversity, not intensive monoculture farming, is the key to feeding the planet; and the more species that exist, the less risk of another pandemic.

With the backing of decades of evidence, he makes the case that making room for nature is essential to our survival, even as the human population increases. He also suggests ways to reverse conditions that led to the coronavirus pandemic in order to prevent future global catastrophes.

Sala’s book, The Nature of Nature (National Geographic), is available for purchase.

Book Sale Information

• Purchase your copy of The Nature of Nature by Enric Sala here.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Politics and Prose is offering a 10% discount to Smithsonian Associates ticket-holders. To claim your discount, enter the code SPECIAL10 in the “Coupon discount” section of Politics and Prose's check-out page.

Patron Information

• Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
• Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
• View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.