Spash vs. Kareiva: ICCB 2015 Spash’s Plenary Receives Standing Ovation

Spash_gets_standing_ovation1International Congress for Conservation Biology and 4th European Congress for Conservation Biology “Mission Biodiversity: Choosing New Paths for Conservation” Montpellier, France

This conference was attended by 2000 people.  The plenary was set up as a debate with Peter Kareiva (USA), chief scientist for the Nature Conservancy and advocate of a ‘New Conservation’ that allies with corporate interests and neoliberal market mechanisms.  The two talks were about 20 mins each. Kareiva went first and was followed by Spash Environmental Values in Conservation: Ethics, Economics and Pragmatism (PDF external link, free to download) . The response of the audience was overwhelming in favour of what Spash said with a spontaneous standing ovation from the conference floor.  Here is some of what the people said at the time and shortly after, as posted on the conference Tweet site.

Nathalie Pettorelli @PettorelliSpash_gets_standing_ovation_pic2
What a fantastic talk by Spash- following Kareiva is hard task, yet Spash’s presentation is splendid, and to the point #ICCB2015
7:14 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Jonas Geldmann @jgeldmann
Clive Spash gives an excellent but un-twittable plenary talk #ICCB2015
7:16 PM – 3 Aug 2015

mats svensson @mazeson
Spash, best so far at #ICCB2015 – “Wrong solution on a wrong problem” Truth hurts!
7:29 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Morgan Tingley @mwtingley
Spash concludes and receives a standing ovation! The audience has spoken. #ICCB2015
7:32 PM – 3 Aug 2015

BiodivKnowledge @BiodivKnowledge
Standing ovations for C.Spash … #ICCB2015
7:33 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Megan Evans @megcevans
Clive Spash gets a standing ovation – I think he struck a chord #rageagainstbiodiversityloss #ICCB2015
7:33 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Nathalie Pettorelli @Pettorelli
A standing ovation for Spash- you don’t see this very often at ICCBs #ICCB2015 very well deserved
7:33 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Achaz von Hardenberg @achazhardenberg
Standing ovation for Clive Spash! Plenary speaker at #ICCB2015
7:34 PM – 3 Aug 2015 • Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Reto Schmucki @SchmuckiReto
Clive Spash, wow! A must read for conservation #ICCB2015
7:36 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Al/ex/a/ndra Sutton @aesutz
At the International Congress on Conservation Biology, watching Peter Kareiva get his ass handed to him by Clive Spash. #wishihadpopcorn
7:47 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Lauren A Bailey @LaureoftheWild
And now we all know his name. Clive Spash won over the room and got standing ovation in debate with Kareiva. Amazing #@ICCB2015
8:06 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Eveliina Kallioniemi @EPaivikki
One of the most thought provoking and hilarious plenaries ever by Spash & Kareiva at #ICCB2015
10:16 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Ben Connor @benjamin_connor
Excellent 1st day @ #ICCB2015 for @BESPolicy. Clive Spash 1st person I’ve ever seen get genuine standing ovation at a scientific conference
10:31 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Guillaume Latombe @GLatombe
Stunning plenary by Clive Spash at #ICCB2015! We need a social ecological ethical economic alternative to the old growth paradigm @ICCB_ECCB
10:55 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Anirban Datta-Roy @clixbyman
Can’t recall ever hearing so many hard truths about conservation spoken so eloquently #ICCB2015 #CliveSpash #StandingOvation #plenary
10:57 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Emma McKinley @EmmaJMcKinley
Plenary session that really got people talking #ICCB2015 https://twitter.com/cynth_malone/status/628243670362251264 …
11:12 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Katarzyna Nowak @katzyna
#CliveSpash this eve at #ICCB2015: The “New Conservation” is NOT new but reminiscent of old political ideology & technocracy #Huxley #Wells
11:16 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Paolo Strampelli @Strampelli
Amazing debate session at #ICCB2015 thanks to #CliveSpash. Inspiring to see someone receive a #standingovation halfway through a debate.
11:26 PM – 3 Aug 2015

Emma Bush @er_bush
Massively enthused by the excellent critical debate over the “New Conservation” this eve from Kareiva and Spash. #ICCB2015
12:03 AM – 4 Aug 2015

Emma Bush @er_bush
New ideas like PES or natural capital quickly become orthodoxy and we need critical thinkers to challenge them #SpashBack #ICCB2015
12:05 AM – 4 Aug 2015

Erin Eastwood @eastofthewoods
My fave of #ICCB2015 Day 1: Karieva & Spash debate. Spurred some amazing conversations, got the room buzzing, incredibly thought-provoking
12:27 AM – 4 Aug 2015