Denver, CO, USA, 30 September 2025 – The 11th World Conference on Ecological Restoration opened this evening with a moving drum performance by Ernest House Jr, enrolled member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado, and Walt Pourier, citizen of Oglala Sioux Tribe. The performance honored orange shirt day, the National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools in the United States, and the Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The ceremony welcomed over 1,400 delegates to the Rocky Mountains reinforcing the deep connections to land, culture and history that shapes our restoration work around the world.
Karma Bouzza, Chair of the SER Board of Directors, reminded us that we meet at the mid-point of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and with five years left to meet the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The targets of the GBF call for at least 30% of the world’s terrestrial, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas to be under effective restoration by 2030. “This is not just a job, but a mission we are working towards, and this conference is about moving from commitment to action”.
Following Karma’s introduction, a powerful performance by Francis Sherwood and his Indigenous Dance Troupe told the story of their people’s history and their relationship with land and nature through music and dance. It reminded us where we have come from, and the importance of restoring what we have lost.
Brock Bowles, Co-Chair of SER2025 then discussed how Denver’s ancient history shaped its geology and geography, creating the climatic conditions that make restoration such a central part of the region’s culture today. He welcomed the global community that has gathered in Colorado—experts in restoration of tropical grasslands and mediterranean coastlines, African deserts and Asian rainforests, from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the Kazakh steppe and Caribbean coral reefs.
To close the ceremony, Brock told the story of the Message Stick that was presented to him at SER2023 in Darwin, Australia, by the conference chair as a symbol of transferring the responsibility of planning the next world conference. Message sticks are pieces of wood with etched images that convey important messages and stories of the Aboriginal people across Australia.
This stick will be passed along to Alice Nunes, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for SER Europe, in recognition of her role as the host of the next World Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, which was announced as the location for the 12th World Conference on Ecological Restoration (SER2027). Learn more about SER2027, by watching the video below.