Professor Barry W. Brook, Chair of Environmental Sustainability, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

Professor Corey J.A. Bradshaw, Sir Hubert Wilkins Chair of Climate Change, The Environment Institute, The University of Adelaide, Australia. [email protected]

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An Open Letter to Environmentalists:

As conservation scientists concerned with global depletion of biodiversity and the degradation of the human life-support system this entails, we, the co-signed, support the broad conclusions drawn in the article Key role for nuclear energy in global biodiversity conservation  published in Conservation Biology (Brook & Bradshaw 2014).

Brook and Bradshaw argue that the full gamut of electricity-generation sources—including nuclear power—must be deployed to replace the burning of fossil fuels, if we are to have any chance of mitigating severe climate change. They provide strong evidence for the need to accept a substantial role for advanced nuclear power systems with complete fuel recycling—as part of a range of sustainable energy technologies that also includes appropriate use of renewables, energy storage and energy efficiency. This multi-pronged strategy for sustainable energy could also be more cost-effective and spare more land for biodiversity, as well as reduce non-carbon pollution (aerosols, heavy metals).

Given the historical antagonism towards nuclear energy amongst the environmental community, we accept that this stands as a controversial position. However, much as leading climate scientists have recently advocated the development of safe, next-generation nuclear energy systems to combat global climate change (Caldeira et al. 2013), we entreat the conservation and environmental community to weigh up the pros and cons of different energy sources using objective evidence and pragmatic trade-offs, rather than simply relying on idealistic perceptions of what is ‘green’.

Although renewable energy sources like wind and solar will likely make increasing contributions to future energy production, these technology options face real-world problems of scalability, cost, material and land use, meaning that it is too risky to rely on them as the only alternatives to fossil fuels. Nuclear power—being by far the most compact and energy-dense of sources—could also make a major, and perhaps leading, contribution. As scientists, we declare that an evidence-based approach to future energy production is an essential component of securing biodiversity’s future and cannot be ignored. It is time that conservationists make their voices heard in this policy arena.

Signatories (in alphabetical order)

1. Professor Andrew Balmford, Professor of Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. [email protected]

2. Professor Andrew J. Beattie, Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia. [email protected]

3. Assistant Professor David P. Bickford, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore. [email protected]

4. Professor Tim M. Blackburn, Professor of Invasion Biology, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, United Kingdom. [email protected]

5. Professor Daniel T. Blumstein, Chair, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, USA. [email protected]

6. Professor Luigi Boitani, Dipartimento di Biologia, e Biotecnologie Charles Darwin, Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy. [email protected]

7. Professor Mark S. Boyce, Professor and Alberta Conservation Association Chair in Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada. [email protected]

8. Professor David M.J.S. Bowman, Professor of Environmental Change Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

9. Professor Scott P. Carroll, Institute for Contemporary Evolution and Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California Davis, USA. [email protected]

10. Associate Professor Phillip Cassey, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Australia.

11. Professor Stuart Chapin III, Professor Emeritus of Ecology, Department of Biology and Wildlife, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. [email protected]

12. Professor David Choquenot, Director, Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Australia. [email protected]

13. Dr Ben Collen, Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, United Kingdom. [email protected]

14. Professor Richard T. Corlett, Director, Centre for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. [email protected]

15. Dr Franck Courchamp, Director of Research, Laboratoire Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution – UMR CNRS, Member of the European Academy of Sciences, Université Paris-Sud, France. [email protected]

16. Professor Chris B. Daniels, Director, Barbara Hardy Institute, University of South Australia, Australia. [email protected]

17. Professor Chris Dickman, Professor of Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia. [email protected]

18. Associate Professor Don Driscoll, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, The Australian National University, Australia. [email protected]

19. Professor David Dudgeon, Chair Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. [email protected]

20. Associate Professor Erle C. Ellis, Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland, USA. [email protected]

21. Dr Damien A. Fordham, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Australia. [email protected]

22. Dr Eddie Game, Senior Scientist, The Nature Conservancy Worldwide Office, Australia. [email protected]

23. Professor Kevin J. Gaston, Professor of Biodiversity and Conservation, Director, Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, United Kingdom. [email protected]

24. Professor Dr Jaboury Ghazoul, Professor of Ecosystem Management, ETH Zürich, Institute for Terrestrial Ecosystems, Switzerland. [email protected]

25. Professor Robert G. Harcourt, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia. [email protected]

26. Professor Susan P. Harrison, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California Davis, USA. [email protected]

27. Professor Fangliang He, Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity and Landscape Modelling, Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Canada and State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun-yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China. [email protected]

28. Professor Mark A. Hindell, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

29. Professor Richard J. Hobbs, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Australia. [email protected]

30. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Professor and Director, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia. [email protected]

31. Professor Marcel Holyoak, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, USA. [email protected]

32. Professor Lesley Hughes, Distinguished Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia. [email protected]

33. Professor Christopher N. Johnson, Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

34. Dr Julia P.G. Jones, Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology, School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, United Kingdom. [email protected]

35. Professor Kate E. Jones, Biodiversity Modelling Research Group, University College London, United Kingdom. [email protected]

36. Dr Menna E. Jones, Department of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

37. Dr Lucas Joppa, Conservation Biologist, United Kingdom. [email protected]

38. Associate Professor Lian Pin Koh, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Australia. [email protected]

39. Professor Charles J. Krebs, Emeritus, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Canada. [email protected]

40. Dr Robert C. Lacy, Conservation Biologist, USA. [email protected]

41. Associate Professor Susan Laurance, Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Studies, James Cook University, Australia. [email protected]

42. Professor William F. Laurance, Distinguished Research Professor and Australian Laureate, Prince Bernhard Chair in International Nature Conservation, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Australia. [email protected]

43. Professor Peter Ng Kee Lin, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore. [email protected]

44. Professor Thomas E. Lovejoy, Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and University Professor in the Environmental Science and Policy department, George Mason University, USA. [email protected]

45. Dr Antony J Lynam, Global Conservation Programs, Wildlife Conservation Society, USA. [email protected]

46. Professor Anson W. Mackay, Department of Geography, University College London, United Kingdom. [email protected]

47. Professor Helene D. Marsh, College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook University, Australia. [email protected]

48. Professor Michelle Marvier, Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University, USA. [email protected]

49. Professor Lord Robert M. May of Oxford OM AC Kt FRS, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. [email protected]

50. Dr Margaret M. Mayfield, Director, The Ecology Centre, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia. [email protected]

51. Dr Clive R. McMahon, Sydney Institute of Marine Science and Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Australia. [email protected]

52. Dr Mark Meekan, Marine Biologist, Australia. [email protected]

53. Dr Erik Meijaard, Borneo Futures Project, People and Nature Consulting, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. [email protected]

54. Professor Scott Mills, Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program in Global Environmental Change, North Carolina State University, USA. [email protected]

55. Professor Atte Moilanen, Research Director, Conservation Decision Analysis, University of Helsinki, Finland. [email protected]

56. Professor Craig Moritz, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Australia. [email protected]

57. Dr Robin Naidoo, Adjunct Professor, Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability University of British Columbia, Canada. [email protected]

58. Professor Reed F. Noss, Provost’s Distinguished Research Professor, University of Central Florida, USA. [email protected]

59. Associate Professor Julian D. Olden, Freshwater Ecology and Conservation Lab, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, USA. [email protected]

60. Professor Maharaj Pandit, Professor and Head, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi, India. [email protected]

61. Professor Kenneth H. Pollock, Professor of Applied Ecology, Biomathematics and Statistics, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, USA. [email protected]

62. Professor Hugh P. Possingham, School of Biological Science and School of Maths and Physics, The University of Queensland, Australia. [email protected]

63. Professor Peter H. Raven, George Engelmann Professor of Botany Emeritus, President Emeritus, Missouri Botanical Garden, Washington University in St. Louis, USA. [email protected]

64. Professor David M. Richardson, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. [email protected]

65. Dr Euan G. Ritchie, Senior Lecturer, Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Australia. [email protected]

66. Professor Terry L. Root, Senior Fellow, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, USA. [email protected]

67. Dr Çağan H. Şekercioğlu, Assistant Professor, Biology, University of Utah, USA and Doçent 2010, Biology/Ecology, Inter-university Council (UAK) of Turkey. [email protected]

68. Associate Professor Douglas Sheil, Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway. [email protected]

69. Professor Richard Shine AM FAA, Professor in Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia. [email protected]

70. Professor William J. Sutherland, Miriam Rothschild Professor of Conservation Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. [email protected]

71. Professor Chris D. Thomas, FRS, Department of Biology, University of York, United Kingdom. [email protected]

72. Professor Ross M. Thompson, Chair of Water Science, Institute of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Australia. [email protected]

73. Professor Ian G. Warkentin, Environmental Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. [email protected]

74. Professor Stephen E. Williams, Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Australia. [email protected]

75. Professor Kirk O. Winemiller, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Interdisciplinary Program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, USA. [email protected]

Note: Affiliations of signatories are for identification purposes, and do not imply that their organizations have necessarily endorsed this letter.

References

Brook, B. W., and C. J. A. Bradshaw. 2014. Key role for nuclear energy in global biodiversity conservation. Conservation Biology doi:10.1111/cobi.12433.

Caldeira, K., K., Emmanuel, J. Hansen, and T. Wigley. 2013. An Open Letter to those influencing environmental policy but opposed to nuclear power. CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/03/world/nuclear-energy-climate-change-scientists-letter (Accessed 14 March 2014).