DENTON (UNT), Texas -- Ricardo Rozzi, a professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas, will participate as a panelist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Sydney, Australia, Nov. 15. He will serve as a panelist for the World Leaders Dialogue "Stand Up for Your Rights: Parks and Social Equity." Other panelists include Luvuyo Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, and Myrna Cunningham Kain, secretary general of the Indigenous Inter-American Institute.

"I have been asked to talk about biocultural ethics and environmental conservation," said Rozzi, who has worked in biocultural conservation in Latin America for 30 years and teaches environmental philosophy at UNT. "I focus on the global diversity of cultures and of languages that are more threatened than biological diversity of the world, and how these relate to pressing socio-environmental issues in the world."

Rozzi will attend the conference in Sydney Nov. 12-19 to participate in the IUCN World Parks Congress. The theme of the congress' portion of the conference is "Parks, People, Planet: Inspiring Solution."

The congress is held every 10 years and is a landmark global forum to identify and communicate inspiring solutions involving protected areas for some of the world's most pressing global challenges.

"This opportunity shows that UNT's environmental philosophy program is one of the best in the world," Rozzi said. "Environmental philosophy and ethics are acquiring a growing relevance to address the root of current global, rapid environmental, socio-economic, and cultural changes."

This group will bring together more than 5,000 people from more than 160 countries. Congress participants will reflect on ways to inspire people from all sectors to build a deeper connection to nature and guide the implementation of innovative solutions for people and protected areas for years to come. Messages from the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014 will feed directly into global negotiating on the UN post 2015 sustainable development agenda. The agenda is designed to bring together leadership from every walk of life to debate the issues and to formulate "The Promise of Sydney."

Visit http://worldparkscongress.org/ or more information about The World Parks Congress 2014.