Conservation is changing.
It has to.
Conferences, academic papers and awards are its echo chambers.
Conservation must come out of its eco bubble.
Enter the Conservation Generation. Think of it as a massive group full of young Canadians who want to lay claim to their future - with a concerted focus on inclusivity.
The Conservation Generation is a new generational name coined by the experts in science, conservation and academia at the ; it imagines the possibility of combining the vital work scientists do in the field with the support and power to influence those under the age of 40 who’ll inherit today’s decisions about the planet.
Together, they’ll press governments, corporations, major brands and thought leaders to save species at risk and empower local communities to take meaningful action for conservation.
And their work begins now.
“We want to make conservation more inclusive and irresistible – it’s a duty of care right now, but it’s not irresistible,” says Steven Ross, chief development officer at the Wilder Institute. “Making it irresistible is all about reframing it as a hope, not just running to put out the fire. It’s going to be a much more interesting world with all of these species in it and living in balance with each other.”
The Conservation Generation are the first generation to truly feel the impact of loss of biodiversity in their lives and may be the last generation who can make the world do anything about it.
They have a voice. They have influence. They have the power to change the future. They are Wilders and Wildfluencers.
They are the generation who grew up with tech as an everyday option. They are the generation who grew up with social media, where – for better or for worse – a huge segment of the social conversation now happens.
It’s within that realm that the Conservation Generation will operate – by using their collective voice in a setting and language they’ve grown up in.
“We want them to stand up and say ‘I’m Wilder, I want to be a part of this,’” Ross says. “Imagine if we were to get half a million Wildfluencers behind us. We do real-time polls with them and then report to governments and corporations that this is what a significant portion of their constituents care the most about. We want Wilders to have the authority to share the voices of a generation because we are listening to that generation.”
Starting this October, the Wilder Institute will be asking Canadians under 40 to identify conservation influencers who influence them; these are individuals who use their platforms as agents of change and knowledge sharing for the greater good. Once identified, the Wilder Institute will invite three influencers to join the Under 40 Advisory Panel. Nine more Canadians — young, forward-thinking, eco-savvy entrepreneurs and community leaders under 40 — will also be invited to join the advisory panel.
“We’re not asking the panel to be scientists, we are asking them to be who they are – which is people who are living on a planet we are trying to save. And their vital work begins now,” Ross says.
The Conservation Generation will also be invited to do something surprising - become Nature Shareholders. Becoming a Nature Shareholder by purchasing a $5 share isn't about making money. It's about having ownership in making the planet wilder by doing your “share.” Their $5 will be directly allocated to the Wilder conservation program of their choice.
“The whole idea is that what if the scientists, who know how to do this work, and the young people who are going to inherit the planet, are working together - each of them doing what they do best,” Ross says. “The scientists are going to make it right, and they’re really good at it, and the Conservation Generation as a cohort is going to use their influence through a vast number of people to influence others to join.”
What if history recorded that the destruction of wildlife and wild places was halted and reversed by the rise of a global movement of wildfluencers?
We need to make conservation irresistible by making restoring balance the next moon shot.
“We define the Conservation Generation as the first generation to feel the effects of the loss of biodiversity: whether it’s the cottage where the water line has gone down, their favourite birds are not there anymore, or the trees that have been destroyed by pine beetles,” Ross says. “We need them to help us institute change.”
Ready to be wilder? Visit to learn more about how you can take action to help make the planet wilder.
