On July 14, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at The North American Congress for Conservation & Restoration (NACCR), a major annual scientific and professional gathering for conservation biology, ecological restoration, and related fields, the Society for Ecological Restoration helped put on its Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour Event for attendees.
For more than three decades, the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) has given voice to the field of ecological restoration and provided leadership in all aspects of its development. They are a dynamic global network of over 5,000 members from 130+ countries who foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise among ecological restoration practitioners and scientists from diverse disciplines and backgrounds. In addition to communicating leading-edge tools, technologies, and scientific findings, SER actively promotes best practices and effective restoration policy around the world.
SER is working to ensure that ecological restoration is recognized and utilized as a fundamental component of global conservation, biodiversity, and sustainable development programs, and that ecological restoration projects are designed and implemented in a way that provides people with the opportunity to not only repair ecological damage, but also improve the human condition.
SER brings together academics, researchers, practitioners, artists, economists, advocates, legislators, regulators, and others who support restoration to define and deliver excellence in the field of ecological restoration. Since the Society’s inception in 1988, their workshops, publications, and international collaborative networks have provided leading-edge restoration guidance to individuals and organizations worldwide. They provide a robust and dynamic platform to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, networking, research, and policy discussions among the many actors and interests we represent.
SER advances the science, practice, and policy of ecological restoration to sustain biodiversity, improve resilience in a changing climate, and re-establish an ecologically healthy relationship between nature and culture.
Four underlying values guide and inform their work. First, ecological restoration is an engaging and inclusive process. Restoration embraces the interrelationships between nature and culture, engages all sectors of society, and enables full and effective participation of indigenous, local, and disenfranchised communities. Second, ecological restoration requires the integration of knowledge and practice. All forms of knowledge are essential for designing, implementing, and monitoring restoration projects and programs. At the same time, lessons learned from practical experiences are essential for determining and prioritizing the scientific needs of the field. Third, ecological restoration is policy-relevant and essential. Restoration is a critical tool for achieving biodiversity conservation, mitigating and adapting to climate change, enhancing ecosystem services, fostering sustainable socioeconomic development, and improving human health and well-being. And finally, ecological restoration is practiced locally with global implications. Restoration takes place in all regions of the world, with local actions having regional and global benefits for nature and people.
Tony Ballard, Senior Manager of Conferences and Events for the Society for Ecological Restoration, says, “The film festival was a highlight for those in attendance. It made for a great, low-key evening, to experience conservation and restoration projects in a whole new way. This event gave us another way to tell the story of great projects going on in our field, but provided a pretty low barrier of entry to allow us to do an event without tremendous additional work on behalf of another committee.
Tony also said that his favorite part of putting on a Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour event is its “… low stress nature! It was great to have so many films to choose from that we thought would best fit our organization. High-quality films made for a high-quality event with minimal effort on our end.”
