Lost Species Day (or RDLS) was first held in November 2011. Since then, thousands of people have taken part in a wide range of events exploring the stories of extinct and threatened species, cultures and communities each year. Over the past 11 years the project has evolved, with its advocates hoping for it to serve as an opportunity to learn about and respond to structural oppression and inequity, as well as being a recurrent space for contemplating biodiversity loss and emotions arising.
There are many ways to participate in Lost Species Day – please do whatever inspires you. We’ve also put together an Ethical Guidelines for Organisers page for a brief guide to the kinds of thinking processes we encourage for Lost Species Day. We offer these suggestions in a spirit of collaboration and learning.
How to join RDLS
- Join and share the FB event
- Like and share our FB page
- Let us know if you hold an event, and we can help promote it
- Document your event and share any images, text etc with us via Twitter or Instagram @lostspeciesday, or email us at lostspeciesday@onca.org.uk. Use the hashtag #lostspeciesday
- We also welcome blog posts for this website.
About Remembrance Day for Lost Species
Remembrance Day for Lost Species, November 30th, is a chance each year to explore the stories of extinct species. These stories lead to the stories of critically endangered species, ways of life, and ecological communities. Set up in 2011 in response to species extinctions resulting from human activity, Lost Species Day is an opportunity to make or renew commitments to all who remain and to collaborate on creative and practical solutions. The primary intention of the day is to create spaces for grieving and reflection. Previous activities have included art, processions, tree planting, building Life Cairns, bell casting and ringing, Regenerative Memorials and more. Explore this website for examples of past events.
Lost Species Day is a voluntary initiative supported by a loose collective of artists, activists and charitable organisations.
Image credit: Wren by Jackie Morris