Villars Summit 2025

Morning

According to a World Economic Forum report, our planet’s stock of renewable and non-renewable natural resources has declined nearly 40% per person globally. Join this plenary discussion on how to protect biodiversity and restore nature which on its own represents half of global GDP.

Cristián Samper

Enric Arderiu Serra

Julia Marton-Lefèvre

Carlos Peres

Ilona Szabó de Carvalho

An Oxford University study reported that although Google searches on biodiversity increased in the last decade, searches for conservation actions (e.g. protected areas, habitat restoration, ecotourism) declined. Join this plenary presentation on how the power of film-making can convert public interest into collective action to protect biodiversity.

Jonnie Hughes

Colin Butfield

Session in Parallel

Join an in-depth discussion on finding the innovation pathways to develop, scale, and adopt projects, policies, or practices that will accelerate systemic change towards nature -based solutions

Suzan Craig

Katherine French

Francisco D'Elia

Jonquil Hackenberg

Join an in-depth discussion on finding the innovation pathways to develop, scale, and adopt projects, policies, or practices that will accelerate systemic change towards net zero emissions.

Michal Nachmany

Florian Wunsch

Peter BenHur Nyeko

Amanda Ellis

Join an in-depth discussion on finding the innovation pathways to develop, scale, and adopt projects, policies, or practices that will accelerate systemic change towards food security.

Hannah Schragmann

Robert Berendes

Gabriel Tasso

Wout Hoff

Join an in-depth discussion on finding the innovation pathways to develop, scale, and adopt projects, policies, or practices that will accelerate systemic change towards nature restoration.

Alex Dehgan

Aureline Grange

Sylvain Vaquer

Meagan Fallone

Ecosystem services provide an important portion of the total contribution to human welfare on this planet. Over $33 trillion USD in ecosystem services are provided annually by the world’s diverse ecosystems. Despite this immense value, natural assets remain largely unaccounted for in corporate and financial decision-making. As biodiversity loss and climate risks escalate, how can we transition to an economic model that recognizes and invests in nature as a vital asset rather than an externality?

Marco Lambertini

Naoko Ishii

Patrick Odier

Beatrice Weder Di Mauro

Afternoon

This meal is prepared based on the recommendations of the EAT-Lancet Commission’s Planetary Health Diet, which provides scientific guidelines to ranges of different food groups that together constitute an optimal diet for human health and environmental sustainability.

Session in Parallel

The aim of this session is to identify opportunities for closer collaboration within the Villars community in preparation for the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Belém, Brazil.

Akanksha Khatri

Mark Gough

Karen Hitschke

Margarita Astralaga

Yana Gevorgyan

Tony Goldner

Erin Billman

Jillian Campbell

J. Carl Ganter

Thomas Crampton

Sweta Chakraborty

Rhett Butler

Angela McCarthy

The aim of this session is to identify on opportunities for closer collaboration within the Villars community in preparation for the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) in Belém, Brazil.

Jane Glavan

Antoinette Vermilye

John Vermilye

Patrick Frick

Paul Holthus

The aim of the Villars Institute Summit is to accelerate the protection of biodiversity, reduction of carbon emissions, and restoration of nature through intergenerational and interdisciplinary collaboration.  Join an interactive plenary discussion reporting on outcomes and commitments for the year ahead and an assessment by youth on their relevance and impact on the next generation.

Lee Howell

Thijs Biersteker

Meet the Artist - Thijs Biersteker: An opportunity to meet Thijs Biersteker, award-winning “eco-artist”, and to learn more about Memories of the Melted, the artwork he has chosen for participants to experience at the Villars Summit 2025 in honor of the 2025 International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. No sign-up required.

Nature Walk:  This guided walk is a wonderful opportunity to discover the natural beauty of the region and takes place from 17:30 to 19:00. This activity is limited to 50 people only and sign-up is required.

Villars Summit 2025