The International Biogeography Society (IBS) is launching the inaugural International Humboldt Day with a series of events from around the world highlighting the field of biogeography.

Inspired by the global impact of the commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Alexander von Humboldt (September 14, 1769 - May 6, 1859), International Humboldt Day (similar in idea to Darwin Day) aims to be an annual celebration of Humboldt's legacy and pioneering research in the field, by highlighting diverse biogeographic research from around the globe.

Humboldt, a classic polymath, is famous for many things - see the Introductory chapter of the translation of Humboldt's classic Essay on the Geography of Plants. In the context of the IBS, he is especially known for his work in botanical geography, which was foundational for the field of biogeography. Humboldt showed how climate controls varying elevational zonation of plants across latitudes. His insights were developed from his own field work and painstaking measurements of climate and plant distributions in different sites across the planet.

International Humboldt Day aims to bring together researchers from all over the world, highlighting different geographic regions, topics, and researchers, and making events open access for international participation.  

As part of the Humboldt Day commemorations the CBA is hosting an online mini-symposium presenting recent insights into how historical climate change and trait evolution has shaped Australasian biogeography.