United Nations, New York City
March 23-24, 2023
Biodiversity for a Livable Climate was in New York meeting with attendees of the Conference of Parties (COP) on Water. Board member Sue Butler and Assistant Director of Regenerative Projects Maya Dutta, working with Jon Schull from EcoRestoration Alliance, had meetings with several exciting global Water Advocates.
Meeting with Rajendra Singh, we had a joyous conversation about the extensive land and water restoration he has done. Working with local people in India, Rajendra recounted how dry and desertified land has been restored to healthy, productive agricultural land. He was happy to tell stories of real transformation, always saying, it can be done. You can do it too!
Dr. Rain, otherwise known as Mooyoung Han, of South Korea, has been teaching young school children about ways to save rain and transform lands of South Korea. His Rain School Initiative curricula have been integrated into school programs and young people are learning and practicing caring for monsoon rains. He is also building a Community Based Rainwater for Drinking Initiaitive to help provide drinking water. Finally, he is working on a Rain City Initiative to help mitigate local climate effects. His catchy logo is Rainwater Revolution: From Drain City to Rain City.
Dr Michal Kravčík who first described the need for a new water paradigm shift towards small water cycle restoration is now the advisor to the Prime Minister of Slovakia. He is working closely with Martin Kováč, Secretary of State to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Slovakia. Together they coordinated a large-scale community-based Integrated River Basin Restoration and Flood Protection Program of Slovakia, installing 100,000 rainwater harvesting projects in almost 500 villages – all within two years. Now they are modeling decentralized groundwater recharge resulting in new water resources – water credits so that they can support the restoration of the forests, the small water cycle, and ultimately the Biotic Pump. We hope to be working with them as they develop the “Water Bank” principles.
It was exciting to see people from around the world with innovative ideas they would like to bring into being to restore climate and nature on planet Earth.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Butler
Bio4Climate Board Member