WISE-World Institute for Society and the Environment
WISE History
We Embrace Beauty and Inspiration in Every Part of Nature
Teton mountain range and the Snake River, Wyoming, USA
Our Story
The concept for WISE has been decades in the making. Dr. Davidé ("Dave") Augeri has been working in the scientific and conservation arenas for four decades to innovate scientifically-based measures for creating a healthier world for all its inhabitants. It has been a confluence of life-long research, experiences, and significant events in history that were consequential in creating the path to WISE.
Dr. Augeri has focused his scientific research and conservation work from tropical to arctic ecosystems on every continent and several oceans and seas regarding the interactions, dynamics, and effects of natural and human influences, including climate change, on terrestrial, freshwater, and marine endangered species, ecosystems, and the biosphere. Throughout his work, Dr. Augeri has been examining the accelerating biodiversity, climate, ecosystem, and human welfare crises around the world, which has also involved policy, sustainability, advocacy, legislative, legal, governing, education, and outreach initiatives regarding these crises and related issues. This led him to work with and gain insights from a diversity of NGOs, governments, remote Indigenous and rural communities, the general public, businesses, a wide variety of stakeholder groups, and international institutions and authorities, such as the IUCN, CITES, UNESCO, Species Survival Commission, Climate Crisis Commission, World Commission on Protected Areas, the United Nations, and others.
As a result, Dr. Augeri has developed deep understanding about the complexities and intrinsic value of Nature along with the fragile interconnectedness and interdependencies among humanity, society, and the natural world This led him to years of further research on Nature-centrism, the evidence-based conclusion that the world has arrived at an irreversible inflection point and, consequently, the resolve that humanity has been given the exceptionally rare opportunity and need to transform our core values and revolutionize our relationship with the Earth through a new Nature-centric paradigm.
The science is clear: Humanity is operating beyond the carrying capacity of the Earth – more than Nature and society can feasibly sustain – while the root causes have not been addressed. Despite thousands of NGOs, governments, international institutions and authorities, and many others working exclusively on these issues for decades, the climate, biodiversity, ecosystem and human welfare crises have not only worsened, but accelerated since the late 1960s and early 1970s...Why?
Dr. Augeri's research and work have led him to three essential questions:
1) Why is conservation not working as it should?
2) What are the root causes?
3) How can we create enduring social change to better resolve these profound crises facing the world?
During the 2020-2022 pandemic Dr. Augeri focussed his work on NGO management and leadership specifically regarding conservation, these systemic polycrises, and social change. Through this work and subsequent research he developed the WISE Approach to address these serious questions, turned it into a book [1], and created the formal structure and mission for the World Institute for Society and the Environment (WISE), which is based on the WISE Approach. He then established WISE in 2024 as a registered nonprofit organization in Wyoming, USA at the base of the Teton mountains in one of the most pristine and magnificent ecosystems on Earth. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Nigel MacLennan and Dr. Gail Grabowsky enthusiastically joined the WISE Board as founding members with exceptional expertise to help advance the mission.
WISE was created to address the underlying causes of these crises and offer hope along with a vision, blueprint, and path for revolutionizing our relationship with the biosphere and transforming society to a healthier, just and equitable Nature-centric world for all life on Earth.
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[1] Augeri, D.M. (2025). Revolutionizing Our Relationship With The Earth: A WISE Approach to Transforming the Climate, Biodiversity and Human Welfare Crises. In press. 474 pp.
WISE Board of Directors and Advisory Board
WISE is currently seeking dedicated people with experience, knowledge and expertise in various aspects of our mission to serve on our Board of Directors and Advisory Board.
Please contact us if you would like to join us and advance the WISE mission!
