Why does human diversity matter to biodiversity? Without a significant increase in diversity and inclusion, conservation will become a movement of the past instead of a guiding principle of the future. In this short film, college students from around the country discuss identity, conservation and their future in the field.

We filmed these conversations during the first week of the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at the University of Washington. It’s an eight-week, two-summer immersion experience for undergrads. Their goal is to shape the future of conservation by fully integrating things like social justice, urban environments and more diverse communities and career paths. In addition to the film, we also made portraits of this next generation of conservation leaders and documented their final presentations.

Learn more at uwconservationscholars.org.