The Royal society lecture

The Royal Society Lecture


The Challenges of Global Biodiversity Loss

An address by guest speaker

Professor Georgina Mace FRS

Imperial College London and Fellow of the Royal Society


Wednesday 25 November 2009 at 6pm

The Great Hall, Lanyon Building

Queen’s University Belfast





As demographic pressures and consumption levels increase, biodiversity decreases, and the ability of the natural world to continue delivering the goods and services on which humanity ultimately depends may be undermined. In 2010 the world’s governments will examine progress made against a target set in 2002 to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. It is now almost certain that this target will be missed. In this keynote lecture, Professor Georgina Mace will examine the information around biodiversity loss, including what we know about the causes and likely future trends. Most importantly, she will examine why biodiversity loss matters, and what we should do about it.



Georgina Mace is the Director of the NERC Centre for Population Biology at Imperial College London where she is also professor of Conservation Science. Her research interests focus on species extinction, the assessment of biodiversity change, biodiversity indicators and the consequences of biodiversity loss for people and environmental processes. She is also the Deputy Chair of Diversitas (an international programme in biodiversity science) and President of the Society of Conservation Biology. In 2002 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society - the UK’s national academy of science.

To register for this free event (flyer attached),
contact Carol at carol.ferguson@qub.ac.uk or 028 9097 1139.
Early registration advised. Reception from 5.30pm for address and Q&A at 6pm