For the first 15 years of his career, Aldo Leopold worked in the arid landscapes of the Southwest. This region is rich in culture and biodiversity, and both have been impacted by settlement, development, and a changing climate. Drawing from decades of preserving place-based Southwestern agricultural plants and his cross-cultural work with Indigenous communities, Gary Paul Nabhan will describe the efforts of scientists and Indigenous leaders to safeguard the ceremonial plants that are essential to both humans and ecosystems in the Southwest.

A recording of this program will be available immediately after the live session.

Gary Nabhan is an Arab-American interaction ecologist and Franciscan Brother who works cross-culturally on plant conservation and biocultural restoration in the U.S., Mexico, and Middle East. He is the author of numerous books, the most recent being Agave Spirits: The Past Present, and Future of Mescals (2023). You can learn more about Gary, his work, and his writing at https://www.garynabhan.com/. 

Restoring the Sacred in Leopold's Borderlands: Scientists and Indigenous Spiritual Leaders Safeguarding Ceremonial Plants in the Southwest