“No problem was ever solved by focusing on the secondary strategy and neglecting the primary strategy.”
– Harvey Locke

“In market terms, Nature is worth more DEAD than ALIVE. We need to fix that.”
– Harvey Locke

Canadian Geographic:
Harvey Locke on COP26 and why “nature needs half”

Listen to the Canadian Geographic Podcast with Harvey Locke

At the forefront of thinking big for Nature.

Harvey Locke has been at the forefront of several of the biggest ideas in global conservation. From Yellowstone to Yukon to Nature Needs Half, to linking Nature and the climate and the Nature Positive Global Goal, Harvey has worked to protect Nature around the world for the last 40 years.

Highlighted Videos

Climate Investment Summit Keynote: Nature Positive with Harvey Locke
Nature and Climate: Two Sides of the Same Coin
The Joy of Wilderness: An Interview with Harvey Locke
Trails and Conservation: A New Vision for the Future

Writing Highlights

Nature Positive

Yellowstone to Yukon

Large Landscapes and Connectivity

Nature Needs Half

Nature Conservation and Disease Prevention

Nature and Climate

Harvey Locke has over 6200 citations for his writing. Read more selected published works below.

Harvey Locke

Harvey Locke is a conservationist, writer and photographer based in Banff National Park, Canada where his family has deep roots. He is co-founder of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and the Nature Needs Half and Nature Positive movements. He has been at the forefront of several of the biggest ideas in global conservation and worked to protect Nature around the world for the last 40 years. Lead author of the paper that introduced the Nature Positive idea to the world, he serves as IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Vice Chair for Nature Positive and is a leader in the integration of nature and the climate in global policy. He is now leading a global project on conservation finance for intact nature (lnk to nature beyond).

Harvey has an Honorary Degree from the Faculties of Science and Graduate Studies at the University of Calgary in June 2018, is a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and of the China Institute at the University of Alberta.

He is recipient of the IUCN's Fred M. Packard award for his contribution to the world's protected areas, CPAWS' J. B. Harkin award for his lifetime contribution to conservation of Canada's parks and wilderness and large landscape conservation, the Golden Leaf Award from the Canadian Council on Ecological Areas for his lifetime contribution to parks, ecological integrity and landscape connectivity, the Wilburforce Conservation Leadership Award, and the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.

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Photography and Content
by Harvey Locke © 2025