Misinformation and the Threat to Conservation

In an age of polarised media and fragmented public discourse, misinformation is increasing - with serious consequences for global biodiversity. How can we navigate this complex landscape and how can researchers communicate effectively in this new world?

Join us for an evening of insightful discussion as biodiversity experts and science communicators explore how misinformation threatens conservation efforts, and what can be done to combat it. Chaired by Clare Carlile (DeSmog), Professor Amy Dickman (University of Oxford) and Dr Alexander Lees (Manchester Metropolitan University) will draw on their unique experiences at the intersection of science, media, and policy.

Organised by the Linnean Society of London and the Systematics Association, this panel aims to foster open, informed dialogue in an impartial setting, with opportunities for audience questions and participation throughout the evening. Our code of conduct can be found here.

This is an in-person event in the Meeting Room of the Linnean Society building. There will be a drinks reception and paid bar in our library afterwards.

Clare is an investigative reporter for the award-winning environmental outlet DeSmog. She specialises in food politics stories exposing blockers of climate and environmental action, from misinformation to aggressive lobby tactics.

Clare was previously Co-Editor at Ethical Consumer Magazine. Her investigations have been covered by the Financial Times, Al Jazeera, Politico, and The Guardian.

Amy is the Kaplan Senior Research Fellow in Felid Conservation and Professor of Wildlife Conservation at Oxford University, and has over 25 years experience working on large carnivores in Africa, specialising in human-carnivore conflict. She has an MSc from Oxford University and a PhD from University College London, and has published over 100 scientific papers and book chapters on large carnivore ecology and conservation. She is a member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, the Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration, the African Lion Working Group, the IUCN Human-Wildlife Conflict task Force, and is a National Geographic Explorer. She has received multiple awards for her work, including the Rabinowitz-Kaplan Prize for the Next Generation in Wild Cat Conservation and the St Louis Zoo Conservation Award.

Alex is a Reader in biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University, working principally on the impacts of land-use change on wildlife. He undertook his PhD at the University of East Anglia before completing fellowships at the Goeldi Museum in Brazil and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in the USA. He is a member of the United Nations Science Panel for the Amazon, the IUCN Species Survival Commission Red List Authority and the chair of the British Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee. He led a 2020 paper categorising biodiversity loss denial in Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Concessions

Please buy the concession ticket if you are any of the below:

⁃ 65 years of age, or over

⁃ Under 26 years of age

⁃ Currently in receipt of UK government benefit (including, but not limited to, Income Based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit, and Universal Credit).

⁃ Currently in full-time education.

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