The recent Environmental Defence Society conference, “The Future is Now” brought together resource managers, conservationists, politicians, rangitahi, iwi, researchers, policy makers and others, to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Sessions focused on freshwater reforms and changes in biodiversity management,  renewable energy, agriculture, fisheries, marine ecosystems, conservation and nature-based solutions.

Presenters ranged from deep-sea trawling practitioners to iwi using mātauranga Māori to manage their land, and the Ministers of Conservation, Climate Change and Regional Development.

Solutions focused on place-based approaches that are small-scale in nature, rather than large-scale, systemic change/programmes, which are hampered by lack of resources and lack of data to drive change.