NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts will welcome Jessica Brown, Executive Director of the New England Biolabs Foundation, as part of its Green Living Seminar Series on Wednesday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m.

 

Brown will present "Caring for the Sacred in Nature: The Role of Cultural and Spiritual Values in Landscape Stewardship."

According to a press release: 

 

Drawing on examples from diverse regions, Brown will explore how cultural and spiritual connections to nature underlie conservation practices worldwide. She will examine community-led care for sacred natural sites, including sacred mountains in Latin America and Asia and sacred groves and caves of West Africa, as well as the role of spiritual values in regional, national, and international conservation designations such as UNESCO World Heritage. The presentation will introduce concepts including biocultural diversity, intangible values, and stewardship through the lens of living landscapes.

 

Brown brings more than 30 years of experience in community-based conservation across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Mesoamerica, Andean South America, Central Europe, and the Balkans. As Executive Director of the New England Biolabs Foundation, she supports grassroots conservation projects focused on agroecology, traditional ecological knowledge, sacred natural sites, and endangered species protection.

 

A recognized leader in her field, Brown serves as Vice Chair of Groundswell International and co-chairs the Global Conservation Program of the Biodiversity Funders Group. She is a member of the ICOMOS/IFLA International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes and of IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas, where she led its Specialist Group on Protected Landscapes for many years. She has also served as international faculty with the World Heritage Leadership Programme and as a consultant with the UNDP/Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme. Board service includes Terralingua, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, and Network of Engaged International Donors.

 

Brown has published widely on community-led conservation and biocultural landscape stewardship. She holds degrees from Clark University and Brown University and is an associate member of the Graduate Faculty of Rutgers University in Cultural Heritage and Preservation Studies.

 

All presentations take place Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in MCLA's Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, Room 121 and will be recorded as podcasts available at mcla.edu/greenliving. The event is free and open to the public.

MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series brings environmental experts, scholars, and practitioners to campus throughout the academic year to engage students and community members in conversations about sustainability, ecology, and our relationship with the natural world.

 

For more information, contact Elena Traister at elena.traister@mcla.edu or 413-662-5303.