Nature is under threat and the loss of biodiversity is one of the most pressing problems of our time. We may feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by the tsunami of bad news about the environment - but there are also signs of hope. Jean Hugé sees it as his duty to bring some optimism into the conservation debate, all is not lost. Having a background in BioScience Engineering and in Development Studies from the University of Ghent, Jean Hugé obtained his PhD in Sciences at the VUB and ULB universities in Brussels. He is now assistant professor in environmental sciences at Open Universiteit. His work is centred on human-nature interactions.
Jean is a keen ‘environmental social scientist’ and enjoys working at the crossroads of multiple disciplines with a wide range of stakeholders. Having a strong international track record including multiple fieldwork missions in sub-Sahara Africa and south-east Asia, his current academic interests focus on the plural valuation of nature, on social learning in times of global change, and on sustainability skills & competences. He enjoys teaching and mentoring students and has worked on a range of policy-supporting research projects, in particular in the field of development cooperation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx