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2011 Fuller Science for Nature Symposium
2011 Fuller Science for Nature Symposium
Kathryn S. Fuller, former president and chief executive of World Wildlife Fund

© _ | WWF-US

Fuller Science for Nature Fund

The Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund supports and harnesses the most promising conservation science research and puts it into practice. Named in honor of the former president and CEO of WWF-US, the fund supports an annual Science for Nature Symposium featuring global leaders in science, policy, and conservation. Additionally, a regular seminar series provides a regular forum for the conservation community.

2026 Fuller Seminar Series

The Psychology of Resilience

Motivating and Sustaining Conservation in a Changing World

Illustration of a brain wrapped in English ivy.

© WWF-US

Biodiversity loss and climate change are reshaping ecosystems and communities alike. While conservation often focuses on ecological and technological solutions, evidence from around the world shows that lasting environmental progress depends just as much on the resilience of people and communities. Without the social capacity to cope with disruption, sustain motivation, and act collectively, conservation efforts struggle to endure. This seminar series, co-hosted with the American Psychological Association (APA), recognizes how social and ecological resilience are linked and explores the psychological mechanisms of social resilience. By integrating psychology and social science research with the lived experience from frontline communities and conservation practitioners, the series will illuminate how emotions, identity, culture, and community dynamics motivate, shape, and sometimes constrain conservation actions and outcomes. It will highlight strategies for fostering hope, managing eco-distress, and building collective capacity to adapt and thrive in a changing world. Participants will leave with actionable insights from psychological science that they can apply to strengthen social resilience, foster inclusive collaboration, and sustain conservation behaviors within their communities and professional contexts.

Learn more about this year's Fuller Seminar Series.

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Kathryn S. Fuller Science for Nature Seminar Series
WWF’s Science for Nature Seminars provide a regular forum for the conservation community to learn, discuss, network and inspire. The series seeks to advance the discussion of cutting edge research relating to critical topics in international conservation by featuring distinguished scientists from across the globe.

2012 Fuller Symposium: Conservation Crime
Global leaders shared their insights on the growing crisis of wildlife crime at the 2012 Fuller Symposium. The symposium was held on November 14, 2012 at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C.