Céline Cousteau to speak at Earth Day conference

Marine conservation advocate and filmmaker Céline Cousteau will be a featured speaker at the seventh annual Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference on Monday, April 15.

Cousteau is the daughter of ocean explorer and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau and granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Yves Cousteau. She has worked as field producer, on-camera presenter and photographer on numerous television documentaries, including the PBS television series “Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures,” CBS’s “Mind of a Demon,” and the Discovery Channel’s “Mysteries of the Shark Coast.” Cousteau is also the founder and executive director of the nonprofit documentary organization CauseCentric Productions.

Cousteau’s morning presentation will explore human connections to nature in the Amazon, Patagonia, Australia and other locations. She will also be part of an afternoon panel focusing on the use of film and television to promote wildlife conservation.

The daylong Earth Day conference will explore a range of conservation issues and include a keynote lecture by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall as well as remarks by Ken Bonning, senior executive vice president of Kohl’s Corporation, and Nelson Institute Director Paul Robbins, an expert on human interactions with nature and the politics of natural resource management.

In addition, nine concurrent panel sessions will focus on topics such as primate behavior and conservation, climate change, cultural conservation, ecosystem services, community sustainability and other topics. The program also includes exhibits, awards and other activities.

The conference will take place at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in downtown Madison and is open to the public, though registration is required. For more information or to register, visit this website. A preconference Q&A with Céline Cousteau is available here.