What a thrilling week it has been! Since last Thursday’s New York Times article Tiny Forests with Big Benefits, my teammates and I at Bio4Climate have been buzzing with excitement at the recognition our forests and this type of restoration is getting. We are so thrilled by the enthusiasm of people’s responses, from interest in…

Our community grows alongside our first Miyawaki forest! In September of 2021, we planted our first Miyawaki forest – the first in the Northeastern U.S. – in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the forest turns two, and demonstrates signs of resilient, abundant growth, the Bio4Climate team gathered with local forest enthusiasts to reflect and celebrate the ecosystem…

Jim Laurie, our staff scientist, restoration ecologist, and teacher of several Biodiversity Deepdive courses, will hold a field trip for students and community members at our Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest. Join us on Sunday, September 3 to gather with fellow budding eco-restorers and enjoy the mini-forest’s growth. Learn more about our Miyawaki Forests. The Danehy…

Four forestry specialists offer their views on how to reduce the wildfire risks. The Wildfire story that no one is talking about.  The media is full of stories about the causes and cures for the massive forest fires raging around the world.  Those fires have finally hit close to the Bio4Climate home in New England…

On Thursday May 25 at 6 pm ET, we welcome Coakí to our Life Saves the Planet lecture series to share his wisdom on Remembering Our Relationships With Forests – Modern And Ancient Agroforestry. Coakí will discuss how he practices syntropic agroforestry to restore ecosystems and local economies, create food security and a diversity of…

Everyone needs a forest, because not only are they one of the most efficient means for sequestering carbon, but the most effective system for cooling the planet, especially on the local level. With the loss of green spaces, more and more people are feeling the effects of heat islands, localized hotspots that can be readily…

On Wednesday April 26 at 6 pm ET, we are honored to present John Perlin and his book A Forest Journey: The Role of Trees in the Fate of Civilization. The first edition was recognized as a Harvard Classic in Science and World History and listed as one of the university’s One Hundred Great Books, and the…

Greene-Rose Park Forest Photos by Maya Dutta On Saturday November 5, 2022 we planted our second Miyawaki Forest in collaboration with the City of Cambridge in The Port at Greene-Rose Heritage Park. We are thrilled to bring another pocket forest to life with the help of the community. We will share information, updates, and photos…

Everyone needs a forest, because not only are they one of the most efficient means for sequestering carbon, but the most effective system for cooling the planet, especially on the local level. With the loss of green spaces, more and more people are feeling the effects of heat islands, localized hotspots that can be readily…

Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest Our Miyawaki Forest at Danehy Park in North Cambridge was planted successfully on September 25, 2021 with the help of many fantastic volunteers. The forest is the first example of a Miyawaki Forest in Cambridge, MA and in the Northeast US as a whole. It is wonderful to see the community…

Tony Rinaudo is an Australian agronomist, who is widely known as the “forest maker.” Having lived and worked in African countries for many decades, he has discovered and put in practice a solution to the extreme deforestation and desertification of the Sahel region. Using an elegantly simple set of management practices, farmers can grow new…

On Wednesday, August 17 at 6pm ET, agronomist Tony Rinaudo joined environmental journalist Judy Schwartz in conversation to share about a reforestation method called Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). More than an effective, low cost, rapid and scalable method of land and environmental restoration, FMNR is restoring livelihoods and food security across tens of thousands of communities and in the process, restoring hope.…

To support efforts to stop deforestation, sign the Amazonia for Life pledge: https://amazonia80x2025.earth/declaration#déclaration The Amazon Rainforest is known as the “lungs of the earth” because it draws in carbon dioxide and breathes out oxygen. But it is also the biological heart of the planet’s hydroclimate system, the planet’s rain making machine. We have lost almost…

This June, Hannah Lewis visited the Cambridge Public Library to discuss her recent book, Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World. Hannah was joined in conversation with Maya Dutta, project manager for the Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest planted in North Cambridge in September 2021. Together, they discussed the Miyawaki Method and…

This April, we hosted EcoRestoration Alliance members Atossa Soltani, Rob de Laet, and moderator Jon Schull for Amazon Deforestation: Why it matters to us. This is an essential discussion on the restoration that can repair this critical system of planetary regulation. If you didn’t catch it live, watch the recording here! The Amazon Rainforest is known…

In this interview hosted by Tania Roa, author Hannah Lewis discusses her new book “Mini – Forest Revolution.” In this book, Lewis presents the Miyawaki Method, a unique approach to reforestation devised by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki. She explains how tiny forests as small as six parking spaces grow quickly and are much more…

On Thursday, April 28 at 6pm ET, join Atossa Soltani, Rob de Laet, and moderator Jon Schull for Amazon Deforestation: Why it matters to us. The Amazon Rainforest is known as the “lungs of the earth” because it draws in carbon dioxide and breathes out oxygen. But it is also the biological heart of the…

The Inga Foundation’s founder and director Mike Hands has been working to halt the destruction of rainforests from slash and burn agriculture for over 20 years. An experienced tropical ecologist and scientific researcher, Mike divides his time between his farm in Cornwall, UK, and the Inga Foundation’s Land for Life program in Honduras. Now in…

Reforestation and afforestation (R&A) are well-established climate mitigation strategies in the wet tropics due to high carbon sequestration rates of forests/trees. However, at high latitudes (boreal regions), the low albedo of trees–compared to snow and other lighter land surfaces–leads to the absorption of energy, thus creating a warming effect that has a greater impact on…

While reforestation has been widely heralded as a means of sequestering carbon into the soil, there is growing evidence that it also serves to directly cool the land surface. But forests’ impacts on air temperature (measured over forests rather than within them) have been difficult to assess because of the confounding impacts of forest canopies on…

Deforestation has contributed to warming in the northern mid-latitudes of North America and Eurasia not only through a large contribution to global CO2 emissions, but also through biogeophysical effects. The latter refers to land-surface effects such as albedo and evapotranspiration, which vary according to the type of land cover. This study uses models to demonstrate that…

This article (also highlighted in Compendium v2n1) reviews research on the benefits of tree cover in relation to water and energy cycles. Forests help produce rain. Vegetation releases water vapor through transpiration, increasing atmospheric moisture that is then transported by wind. In fact, “over most of the tropics, air that passes over forests for ten…

Learn about the Miyawaki forest we planted in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Miyawaki method was invented by Dr. Akira Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist, and it involves planting native species in urban areas. View the slideshow, created in collaboration with SUGi, here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OfVy4DJfG9P_vMnxCzAL5F_Ndu807JcX/view Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem…

Miyawaki Forests: Boosting Biodiversity and Climate Resilience with Ecosystem Restoration  December 9, 2021 Watch the webinar recording above, and check out the chat, slides, and related resources here. Event Description Learn about Miyawaki Forests and the newest example in Cambridge, MA, the first urban pocket forest of its kind in the Northeastern USA, which was planted this…

As many people know through firsthand experience, we planted the Northeast’s first Miyawaki Forest last weekend. After several months of planning, discussion, and organization, we gathered in Danehy Park in North Cambridge to create the forest. This was the part I participated in, but like so much of our work at Biodiversity for a Livable…

Planting day for our first Miyawaki Forest in Cambridge (and the Northeast) on Saturday, September 25 went beautifully. On a day predicted to hold thunderstorms, the sun shone down as volunteers gathered to put this historic forest in the ground. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this project! Read more about the…

Biodiversity 4: Forests, Fungi and Living Shorelines Summer 2021, Wednesdays, June 16th – September 1st 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie, held at 1pm and 7pm ET on Zoom. The Excitement and Inspiration of Science for the Curious to the Serious and everyone in-between. A fully interactive online adventure with discussions, experiments…

Learn more and get involved

Tropical ecologist Mike Hands and soil scientist Rattan Lal joined our Life Saves the Planet lecture series to discuss the Inga Alley Cropping technique and the promise of agroforestry for promoting biodiversity, sequestering carbon, and providing food security for farmers. 

“The tamarin is unable to do anything to save its own species. And we, human beings, are the ones who are destroying their environment,” says conservationist Gabriela Rezende. “So, when I got the opportunity to see this animal in the wild, I felt partly responsible for its future.” Rezende works with the Institute for Ecological…

Ebola virus disease outbreaks in West and Central Africa have been linked to spillover from potential disease reservoirs such as bats, apes, and duikers (an antelope-like animal). Spillover has been thought to be related to population density, vegetation cover, and human activities such as hunting, poaching, and bushmeat consumption. In this study, forest data from…

This meta-analysis comparing active restoration to natural ecosystem regeneration found the latter to be more effective. The authors conclude that “lower-cost natural regeneration surpasses active restoration in achieving tropical forest restoration success for biodiversity and vegetation structure[7]” [Crouzeilles 2017: 4]. This conclusion runs counter to conventional wisdom that active restoration is preferable despite being more…

The concept of “proforestation” presented here means letting existing forests continue to grow and reach their full ecological potential. Due to intensive management practices, most existing forests sequester carbon at only half (or less) of their potential rate. In addition to storing (embodying) more carbon than their smaller counterparts, large trees also sequester carbon at…

This study tested the Miyawaki method of rapid natural forest regeneration (which has been shown to work in Japan and elsewhere) in the arid Mediterranean. In this area, millennia of human civilization have resulted in degraded soils and reduced and changed forest cover, traditional reforestation efforts have often failed, and desertification is a looming threat. The…

This article analyzes the policy context for forest ecosystem restoration, arguing that it is heavily shaped by the way we define a forest. The use of a forest definition lacking ecological considerations severely undermines conservation and restoration initiatives.   We live in an era of unprecedented environmental change, motivating equally unprecedented global actions to protect…

This workshop follows Alfred’s talk “How Liberians Fought Big Palm Oil to Protect their Forests” Alfred Brownell: environmental and human rights lawyer and Executive Director of Green Advocates (GA). Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at Blessed Unrest conference via online, extending across weekends in…

How Indigenous Peoples, local communities and environmental rights activists stopped the world’s largest oil palm companies from causing deforestation and accelerating climate change in West Africa. Alfred Brownell: environmental and human rights lawyer and Executive Director of Green Advocates (GA). Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/…

Brief tribute to Elizabeth (Beth) L. Adams (1946-2019) of Leverett, MA. Beth was co-founder of the Massachusetts Forest Rescue Campaign and a life-long activist for peace, social justice and environmental conservation. She truly exemplifies the “Blessed Unrest” that is being celebrated as the theme of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate’s 2020 online conference. Learn more…

Across the South in the United States, frontline communities facing the devastation wrought by industrial logging are leading a movement calling for the protection of forests. Hit hardest by the effects of increasingly intense storms and flooding as well as facing threats of pollution, communities along the coastal plains of the Carolinas, as well as…

Urban heat islands are created when solar energy is absorbed by non-reflective, impervious, and often rather dark surfaces, such as asphalt, stone, metal, and concrete, which are ubiquitous in cities. Exacerbating this solar energy absorption effect are abundant amounts of heat released from vehicles, factories and air conditioners, for example, as well as pollutants trapped…

Given the dangerous, precipitous global decline in biodiversity, coupled with rapid urbanization, cities have a key role to play in protecting biodiversity. In fact, cities already do harbor a large share of biodiversity. This may be due to the fact that cities are often situated in places of large inherent biodiversity (along rivers, for example),…

Despite their total area having increased by 10% since 1750, European forests have failed to achieve a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere because of how they’ve been managed over that time. Eighty-five percent of Europe’s once largely unmanaged forest has been subjected to tree species conversion, wood extraction via thinning and harvesting, and…

Forests currently cover a quarter of Earth’s terrestrial surface, although at least 82% of that remaining forest is degraded by human activity. While a handful of international accords rightly encourage forest conservation and reforestation to limit global warming, these agreements fail to prioritize protection specifically of intact forests, or forests that are free from human…

In climate policy and financing, the goals of adaptation (helping communities and ecosystems adapt to the effects of climate change) and mitigation (reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon sinks) are often separate. This is because “adaptation and mitigation are driven by different interests and political economies, with distinct international donors and national institutions. These differences…

Sacred forests/groves are not uncommon in India, especially in the biodiverse Western Ghats mountain range. These groves are community-protected patches of forest ranging in size from less than a hectare to several hundred hectares, and they are often believed to house gods [Ormsby & Bhagwat 2010]. A particular temple in the Western Ghats just outside…

In order to keep global warming under the 1.5C threshold, the IPCC warns that not only must we cut carbon emissions nearly in half by 2030, we must also draw massive amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that around 730 billion tons of CO2 (730 petagrams…

Industrialized forestry simplifies forest structure and harms biodiversity. To mitigate this harm, retention forestry has been adopted in places such as Sweden, where this study was conducted. “Retention forestry” avoids clearcutting and instead preserves some 5-30 percent of trees to benefit populations of birds, lichens, fungi and other types of organisms. The authors focused on…

This study illustrates the important role of soil fungi in tree population dynamics of temperate forests. In general, when a particular plant species dominates an area of land, it attracts species that feed on it. In an experiment conducted in this study, the roots of surviving seedlings had 60% fewer lesions when they were planted…

This article describes three major types of microbial tree symbionts, why they matter, and maps their global distribution. Microbial symbionts strongly influence the functioning of forest ecosystems. Root-associated microorganisms exploit inorganic, organic and/or atmospheric forms of nutrients that enable plant growth, determine how trees respond to increased concentrations of CO2, regulate the respiratory activity of…

Higher forest biodiversity (specifically plant functional diversity related to water, or hydraulic, transport) engenders greater ecosystem resilience to drought. This is because different species respond differently to water stress – some species slow down their release of water (and heat) through transpiration sooner than others do. Plants’ response to water availability in turn affects the…

Using data from 130,210 forest plots across the US, this study examines the effects of tree diversity on pest invasions. The authors found that tree diversity increases pest diversity by increasing the variety of host species available (i.e., facilitation), while also decreasing establishment of pests by increasing the number of non-hosts for any given pest…

This study combines archaeology, archaeobotany, palaeoecology and palaeoclimate investigation to shed light on the legacy of pre-Columbian land management practices on today’s Amazon rainforest. Evidence points to a millennial-scale cultivation practice that at once maintained ecosystem integrity while sustaining a large and growing human civilization. Here, we show that persistent anthropogenic landscapes for the past…

Hearing of plans underway for a four-lane highway near their home in Nantes, France, local residents Jim and Stephanie responded by planting a small forest. The idea was not only to block out the added sound and air pollution, but also to try to compensate for the assault on the planet of any road expansion.…

When the Waorani people of the Ecuadorian Amazon heard their government was planning to sell drilling rights to their land to international oil companies, they mobilized. They mapped the land to illustrate to the Western world its otherwise unseen cultural, historical and ecological richness. These maps include “historic battle sites, ancient cave-carvings, jaguar trails, medicinal…

Understanding what makes forests thrive is important in light of mounting calls for reforestation and forest conservation as antidotes both to species loss and climate breakdown. Moreover, distinguishing between natural forest regeneration and timber plantations is critical to achieving intended goals. Intact forests, and especially tropical forests, sequester twice as much carbon as planted monocultures.…

Restoring natural forests is the best way to remove atmospheric carbon, Lewis et al. 2019 In order to keep global warming under the 1.5C threshold, the IPCC warns that not only must we cut carbon emissions nearly in half by 2030, we must also draw massive amounts of CO2 out of the atmosphere. The Intergovernmental…

Wildfires in the West have become larger and more frequent over the past three decades (globally, the length of the fire season increased by 19% from 1979 to 2013) and this trend will continue with global warming. Typical fire prevention strategy, centering on fuel reduction and fire suppression, has proved inadequate. Instead, society must accept…

Our results demonstrate that in the Amazon, forest height and age regulate photosynthesis interannual variability and are as relevant as mean precipitation. In particular, tall, old and dense forests are more resistant to precipitation variability. Tree size and age directly impact forest structure and thus the carbon cycle in the Amazon. This is especially significant…

Vegetation cover affects the amount of solar energy a land area absorbs and/or releases, thus altering local temperatures and precipitation. Plants regulate local temperatures through shading, albedo and evapotranspiration, which releases latent[9] heat. The ability of a surface to shed energy through latent or sensible heat is key to determining that surface’s temperature – shifts in the…

​This paper takes the innovative and paradigm-shifting position that carbon is not the primary consideration in climate; rather, water should be the central focus, integrated with carbon and energy cycles: Forest-driven water and energy cycles are poorly integrated into regional, national, continental and global decision-making on climate change adaptation, mitigation, land use and water management. This…

Highlighting the significance of Makarieva and Gorshkov’s “biotic pump” hypothesis (above), Sheil and Murdiyarso explain it in layman’s terms in this article for the benefit of a broader public, and examine its validity. They point out that the biotic pump hypothesis offers an explanation for a question not otherwise resolved in conventional climate theory. Conventional…

Deforestation contributes to climate change on a global scale through carbon emissions (biogeochemical effects), and on a local/regional scale through biogeophysical effects related to albedo, evapotranspiration and roughness, affecting surface energy budgets. Here, we show that historical deforestation has led to a substantial local warming of hot days over the northern mid-latitudes – a finding…

When managed with both climate adaptation and mitigation in mind, tropical reforestation (TR) can serve multiple synergistic functions. TR mitigates regional and global climate change, not only by sequestering carbon but also through biophysical cooling (via evapotranspiration), by recycling rainfall regionally, and by reducing pressure on old growth forests. Furthermore, TR helps local communities adapt to climate…

The importance of water retention (the rainfall absorbed or used within an ecosystem) for mitigating flood and drought conditions and contributing to clean drinking water, for example, has been increasingly recognized in Europe in the past decade. Along with wetland preservation, better agriculture practices and other measures, preserving and re-growing forests are seen as key…

This study illustrates how ecosystem restoration enhances biodiversity and productivity. A one-time application in 1998 of 1,000 truckloads of agricultural waste (orange peels) to 3 ha of degraded pasture accelerated tropical forest regeneration in this Costa Rica study. The treatment led to a tripling in species richness (24 tree species from 20 families, compared to…

Abstract: Human occupation is usually associated with degraded landscapes but 13,000 years of repeated occupation by British Columbia’s coastal First Nations has had the opposite effect, enhancing temperate rainforest productivity. This is particularly the case over the last 6,000 years when intensified intertidal shellfish usage resulted in the accumulation of substantial shell middens. We show…

This meta-analysis estimates total carbon sequestration potential in the US from various agroforestry practices to be 530 TgC/year (530 million metric tons), equivalent to about 1/3 of annual US carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Based on their literature review, the authors estimate per-hectare sequestration rates (based on aboveground and belowground carbon accumulation) for each practice…

Joan Maloof: Founder and Executive Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network and formerly on the faculty of Salisbury University Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at the Climate Reckoning conference November 17-19, 2017 at Harvard University #blueplanet #forests #trees

Christopher Haines, AIA, LFA, CPHC: Architect licensed in both MA and NY who applies expertise in regenerative architectural design, healthy materials, preservation, renovation and specification writing to small commercial and urban projects. Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at the Climate Reckoning conference November 17-19,…

Note: As mentioned in the Release notes, we have a small staff, and therefore have had to postpone some important material for the next release, scheduled for January 2018.  This is particularly true of forests and we will include a more thorough examination of their importance in addressing climate moving forward.  Nonetheless, we felt that the…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Perennial food systems can play a vital role in developing sustainable food supplies while restoring ecosystems. Food forests work WITH nature to restore carbon, water, and nutrient cycles, optimizing food production while minimizing requirements for external inputs. New…

Philip Tanimoto, The Cloud Forest Conservation Initiative Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at The Power and Promise of Biodiversity: Visions of Restoring Land, Sea and Climate conference at Harvard University on April 30, 2016 #guatemala #centralamerica #forest

Thomas Goreau tells of the successful reforestation centuries ago of the mountains surrounding Rio de Janeiro, and will describe the workings of the “biotic pump” by which forest transpiration supports healthy precipitation across wide areas. Presented at the Restoring Water Cycles to Reverse Global Warming conference October 16th-18th, 2015 at Tufts University. Learn more about…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Foster Brown is a senior scientist for Woods Hole Research Institute, based in the State of Acre in the western Amazon. He explains the challenges of protecting Amazonia especially from fire, and of mobilizing local populations for ecological…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ The earth’s forests have been decimated by human overuse and development, leading to cascading effects of biodiversity loss, soil erosion and massive emissions of carbon into the atmosphere. Mark Leighton joined the Harvard faculty in 1983 and has…

On Wednesday, September 27 at 6pm ET, John Feldman will share his perspective on Regenerating Life – an ecosystems perspective on the climate crisis. He will be joined in conversation by environmental journalist and author Judith D. Schwartz to explore regenerative solutions to climate disruption, global warming, and food insecurity. Read more and register now to…

Dr. Makarieva and Dr. Nefiodov will be presenting their scientific findings at universities throughout the United States from September 21 – October 14 on the importance of water and healthy forests. This important research is fundamental to the role of ecosystems in climate stability. Check here below for locations near you. This U.S. tour includes…

The first memories of my childhood that I can recall is that of me sitting on my bed with a blank sheet of paper and a box of crayons, making lines and circles and shapes of all kinds as the warm sunlight flooded in through the windows of the apartment. Painting was something I was…

Bio4Climate friends Tim Jones and Chie Morizuka manage a regenerative farm called Gladney Farm in Hokkaido, Japan. As the name suggests, there’s a lot to be glad about on the newly restored land! Tim and Chie share the love by hosting groups eager to learn from the farm animals and plants. Students of all ages…

Do you know which fungus among us is most humongous?

Biodiversity 9 Deep DiveTransformation to a Holistic Perspective – Nature Can Cool the Planet Fall 2023, Wednesdays, September 20 – December 13 Are you ready to transform your understanding of how life on the planet works and how we can play a role? Join us as we follow the transformation of two leading writers and…

Which ferocious, fuzzy creatures dominate the forest and help their ecosystems thrive? Grizzly Bears!

Global Youth Ambassadors Introduction The Global Youth Ambassador program connects young people around the world to regeneration resources and powerful networks. We create a platform for more robust projects that benefit people and the Earth, fostering a generation of dynamic leaders ready to make a significant difference. Who is this program for? If you’re passionate…

Education in a school climate hub (SACH) with the goal of highlighting how and why human activities like agriculture, irregular forests harvesting, and others affect climate. The project aims to visit more than 12 schools – 4 primary schools, 4 secondary schools, and 4 advanced secondary schools. I expect to partner with teachers, local governments,…

The project concerns with setting up of an Agroforestry farm. The goal of the project is to introduce the concept of Regenerative Agriculture to the local farmers. The project will be carried out by Biodiversity Management Committee of which I am a part of. It is an organization under Assam State Biodiversity Board that helps…

What cute creature takes the title of the largest rodent on Earth? That would be the Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, more commonly known as the capybara. Although they resemble their smaller relatives, these aquatic mammals are the biggest rodents to walk the planet!

Voices of Waterfor Climate global research on the role of water in cooling our planet Global restoration of natural water cycles is absolutelyessential for biodiversity and climate restoration. Vision Rehydrating the continents to restore natural water cycles and climate. Mission Educating globally to empower people to act locally to renew natural small water cycles to…

I co-founded Rural Empowerment on Sustainable Environmental and Economic Development [RESEED]. We are currently planting fruit and indigenous trees to enhance reforestation and climate resilience, encouraging more plants in Kisumu Kenya.

Nathan Phillips remarked to me that trees were like lungs. I thought, it’s far more than that… In the Surgical Oncology Unit, the cancer ward, you can’t always save people. Sometimes all you can do is keep them comfortable, be there with them, then care for their families as they go. You see the many…

What would you get if you crossed a bear, a dog, and an otter? The Bush Dog!

I’d like to introduce this piece with a scenario. Suppose someone pointed out that you’d been looking at the climate through a pair of glasses with only one lens? Lifting them off your nose, they then provide you a new pair of glasses with two lenses. Suddenly, parts of the climate you couldn’t see before…

Our Programs Keeping nature and biodiversity  in the climate conversation has been the focus of our outreach and education, with annual conferences catalyzing new partnerships and research. Over time this experience has led us to be more directly involved in local communities and hands-on restoration work.  Each program is a strategic lever, creating experiential learning,…

What curious creature with its own built-in armor digs its way into trouble but floats right out? The armadillo!

What organism can grow up to 35 inches in a day, conduct electricity, and survive an atomic bomb? Bamboo!

What is the heaviest, oldest and one of the largest creatures on the planet? It’s not the sperm whale, not even close. The surprising answer is PANDO!!! You’ve never heard of Pando? Neither had I, till Paula Phipps here at Bio4Climate suggested it as a Featured Creature! Pando is a 108-acre forest of quaking aspens…

HYDRATE: The Role of Water Key Concepts Water is the primary method of cooling the earth, but the earth has dried up.  Not just as a result of global warming but also: Fewer forests to hold water and send water vapor and heat up into the atmosphere.   Degraded soil cannot hold water to grow vegetation…

What creature lives in salty or brackish water, provides an ideal breeding ground for countless organisms, and helps maintain a thriving planet? The Mangrove!

Plants Cool the Planet Key Concepts Plants mitigate climate change through transpiration, carbon sequestration, cloud formation, and cooling effects. Transpiration Plants release water to the air which has a cooling effect on the plant, and the environment. Plants regulate temperature, contributing to ecosystem health. Condensation The transformation of water vapor into liquid droplets aids in…

What tiny creature dwells in a unique coastal forest, where it is famous for its appetite? That would be Xenohyla truncata, or Izecksohn's Brazilian treefrog.

What small but fearless songbird can astonish with its aerial acrobatics and is always ready to battle much bigger birds for dominance? The Black Drongo!

What 100 million year old creature brought on the ice age but is so tiny that a cluster can fit on your finger tip? That would be Azolla!

What curious creature sounds like it will bite, but is actually used to heal? It is the Goodyera orchid, and it is a plant of contradictions!

What creature preys on ants and other insects, invading their bodies, seizing control of their minds, and killing them off to reproduce, all the while inspiring zombie stories that terrify us humans? Welcome to Zombie Ant Fungus, or Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis!

This Earth Day, Boston-area folks are invited to gather at Bio4Climate’s Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest for a community picnic (99 Sherman Street, Cambridge MA). We will get together on Saturday, April 22 from 1 – 3pm to celebrate our beautiful home planet and the work to restore it. Please bring your lunch, your friends, and your…

Earth Day 2023 On Saturday, April 22 2023, celebrate Earth Day with Bio4Climate! We’re hosting a community gathering at our Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest in Cambridge, MA from 1 – 3pm. Bring your lunch and your friends to celebrate our beautiful planet and learn about the movement to regenerate it. Fill out the form below…

We Need a New Climate Story Nature is Climate Biodiversity loss is not just the result of climate change, it is a primary driver of climate change.  Only solutions that prioritize this web of life will create a truly livable climate for all. Restore Nature – Cool the Planet Only nature has the ability to both…

by Fred Jennings, Ecological Economist for Biodiversity for a Livable Climate Part One: “Water Cools The Planet” Runtime 41:43 John Feldman introduces himself and expresses surprise that this work got him thinking a lot about water. The film proceeds to talk about water in its many diverse aspects: as a powerful greenhouse gas; in its…

United Nations, New York CityMarch 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…

What unassuming weed could really brighten your garden and heal the world? Self-heal!

Which creature is the largest Asian antelope, considered sacred to some and pest to others? The Nilgai!

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels A series of virtual and in-person community events in 6 locations in the U.S. and Canada Fourth Event: CLEVELAND • on Zoom Saturday, March 25, 2023 1:00 – 4:30 pm EST  •  on Zoom Agenda Register Here Stay tuned for Part 2 with in-person and virtual Community Engagement…

This panel was one of several presentations hosted during Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels on Saturday, January 21, 2023 with Los Angeles community leaders. This event is the third in a series of six events hosted virtually and in-person in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada – https://bio4climate.org/roc Stay tuned to register…

What creature roams the Australian Outback, extends its hospitality to others in times of need, and eludes predators with a unique rear end? The tiny, mighty wombat! This little roly-poly ball of densely matted fur is a staple of Australia’s menagerie of weird and wonderful creatures.

What plant generates energy without photosynthesis, thrives in darkness, is said to quell anxieties, and was cherished by American poet Emily Dickinson? That would be Monotropa, also known as "Ghost Pipes", "Ghost Plants", "Indian Pipes", and "Corpse Plants", among other names!

Biodiversity 8 Deepdive: Symbiosis is Challenging Survival of the Fittest Spring 2023, Wednesdays, March 1 – May 12 How has conventional interpretation of Darwin’s survival of the fittest shaped not only our understanding of science and extinction, but also economics and cultural values? Are we genetically doomed to compete with nature and with each other…

What ancient invertebrate can breathe through its skin, squeeze through tight spots, and use slime to attack prey? The velvet worm!

What nocturnal creatures native to North America are known for their beauty and the fact that they don't eat at all in their adult life?  Luna moths!

What slimy creature improves its forest ecosystem, uses clever tactics to impair predators, and might make you think twice about a favorite fruit? The Banana Slug!

Which bird from Asia is sought after worldwide, holds a beautiful crown with a purpose, and graces our eyesight with colorful feathers? Peafowls!

What creature comes from Southeast Asia, is the biggest of its kind, eats animals we need, and  has been tried and convicted of murder in the court of public opinion? Meet the Asian Giant Hornet!

In a time of accelerating global warming, nature’s ability to cool the Earth is one of the most exciting and important prospects we can explore. We’ve been proud to host scientific experts at the forefront of this research like Dr. Anastassia Makarieva, Andrei Nefiodov, and Jan Pokorny. They joined us a couple of months ago…

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels A series of virtual and in-person community events in 6 locations in the U.S. and Canada Third Event: LOS ANGELES • on Zoom Saturday, January 21, 2023 1:00 – 4:30 pm PST  •  on Zoom Stay tuned for Part 2 with in-person and virtual Community Engagement Eventshosted in…

Meet Eka Cahyaningrum, restorer of peatlands and advocate for primates. Her work in Indonesia restores wild animal populations and their habitats while uplifting local communities. Her youth-led efforts demonstrate the power of coming together under one goal: to create better living conditions for all living beings, so that we can all thrive. Eka Cahyaningrum, Primate…

Tropical peat swamp forest is a unique ecosystem that is under enormous threat by human activities, such as logging, conversion for agriculture, drainage, fire, and wildlife hunting. Peat-swamp forests in the tropics represent a high biodiversity ecosystem with thousands of species and are rich in endemic and endangered flora and fauna. To address the threats…

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels A series of virtual and in-person community events in 6 locations in the U.S. and Canada Second Event: KANSAS CITY • on Zoom Saturday, November 12 1:00 – 5:00 pm CST  •  on Zoom Plus, in-person and virtualCommunity Engagement Eventshosted in or near Kansas City! Biodiversity for a…

Which fungi creature gets its name from a bird, helps heal internal wounds, and benefits people worldwide? Turkey tails! This year I took two trips – one to Nashville, Tennessee and another to the Northeast, specifically to White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire (Abenaki Penacook land). Both of these places have more trees than…

On Thursday, October 6 at 3pm ET, we joined the Cambridge Science Festival’s climate hub to share insights on ecosystem restoration, urban rewilding, and Miyawaki Forests. Come by for Wholehearted Regeneration: Boosting Communal and Climate Resilience One Pocket Forest at a Time with Maya Dutta, Bio4Climate’s Assistant Director of Regenerative Projects. She discussed the Miyawaki…

Cambridge Science Festival – October 6 at 3pm ET Wholehearted Regeneration: Boosting Communal and Climate Resilience One Pocket Forest at a Time On Thursday, October 6, we joined the Cambridge Science Festival’s climate hub to share insights on ecosystem restoration and urban rewilding. Maya Dutta, Assistant Director of Regenerative Projects at Bio4Climate shared her work…

Wholehearted Regeneration – Boosting Communal and Climate Resilience One Pocket Forest at a Time Thank you for registering! See you on Thursday, October 6 at 3pm ET. You will receive an email with confirmation and event information. The talk will take place at the Main Branch of the Cambridge Public Library (449 Broadway) in the…

Around the world, young people are organizing in a variety of ways to restore our ecosystems and heal planet Earth. Hear from three remarkable youth leaders who are doing incredible work to help protect and restore the Earth through ecosystem restoration, art, and regenerative agricultural advocacy. Sergio Esteban Lozano-Báez is from Colombia. In 2011, he…

Biodiversity 7: Rewilding Half the Earth to Create a Future We Want Fall 2022, Wednesdays, October 12 – December 28 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie. He will hold two sessions every Wednesday, from 12 – 2 pm ET and 7 – 9 pm ET to accommodate students’ different schedules. The Excitement…

Course fee: $240; if you’re on a tight budget, a sliding scale is available at checkout. In Biodiversity 7: Rewilding Half the Earth to Create a Future We Want, Jim Laurie will lead students in examining restorative possibilities such as protecting half the earth, creating mini-forests using the Miyawaki method, and increasing wetlands.  Beginning Wednesday,…

Youth Eco Restorers for Climate 17 September 2022 • 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET • Zoom Around the world, young people are organizing in a variety of ways to restore our ecosystems and heal planet Earth. View the conference recording below to hear from three remarkable youth leaders who are doing incredible work to…

Register below to receive your ticket for Youth EcoRestorers for Climate – Saturday September 17, 2022 from 10 am – 12 pm ET. Thank you for joining us at our first conference by and for youth leaders! We want you to join us more than anything, and we understand that some may not be able to purchase a…

Drought warnings in Massachusetts are a stark reminder that we are part of a global climate system where warming trends are accelerating. Is there something we can learn from adding a global lens to our local and regional mitigation efforts? Danielle Dolan, Deputy Director of the Mass Rivers Alliance, and Beth Lambert, Director of the…

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels Community Engagement Events In-person and virtual eventshosted in Montgomery County, Maryland and the surrounding area Thank you for your interest to attend one or more Community Engagement Events in our series on Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels in Montgomery County, Maryland and the surrounding…

Redesigning Our Communities for Life After Fossil Fuels A series of virtual and in-person community events in 6 locations in the U.S. and Canada Inaugural Event: Saturday, September 10 1:00 – 4:30 pm ET  •  on Zoom Plus, in-person and virtualCommunity Engagement Eventshosted in or near Montgomery County, Maryland! Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is partnering…

What can hold more than 500 species, sequester more than 500 lbs. CO2/year, be 10F cooler than its surroundings, soak up lots of rainwater,and be made by and for children in a space no bigger than a tennis court? A “mini-forest” planted using the Miyawaki Method, of course! Hannah Lewis (Bio4Climate Compendium editor) and Daan…

This July as Massachusetts, like many other parts of the world, reckoned with serious drought, we held a lecture to explore how we can address drought conditions on a local, regional, and global scale. Check out the recording and related resources here! Drought warnings in Massachusetts are a stark reminder that we are part of…

This week we ask: Which creature loves to wallow in mud, has two horns, and communicates through whistling and whining noises?  The Sumatran Rhino!  I believe that the Sumatran Rhino is one of the most beautiful species on this planet.  I adore rhinos. They are beautiful, majestic, and grand. Each rhino is literally a knight…

On Tuesday, July 12 at noon ET join us for an online lecture to explore how we can address drought conditions on a local, regional, and global scale. Drought warnings in Massachusetts are a stark reminder that we are part of a global climate system where warming trends are accelerating. Is there something we can…

In this interview hosted by Abby Abrahamson, Chloe Ng discusses her involvement with the Roots & Shoots National Youth Leadership Council – a program of the Jane Goodall Institute. Chloe Ng is a freshmen at University of Pennsylvania. This is her third year on the National Youth Leadership Council. As leader of the Blind Brook…

The Cambridge Public Library and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate present author Hannah Lewis in a reading and discussion of her latest book, Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World. The Miyawaki Method is a unique approach to reforestation devised by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki. In the book, Lewis explains how…

What small creature found throughout the world is often mistaken for a cousin, evolves dramatically during its life cycle, and broadcasts ecosystem health?  The damselfly! Recently I’ve been finding a lot of solace and inspiration in nature, taking long walks into the late evening around the beautiful green spaces in my neighborhood. Though I’ve lived…

Bulu mini-forest in Cameroon after 19 months; Photo: Agborkang Godfred Hannah Lewis, Compendium Editor for Biodiversity for a Liveable Climate and freelance writer The Miyawaki Method The Miyawaki Method is a way to grow natural, mature forests in a couple of decades rather than a couple of centuries. You do this by observing what happens…

Which species is known for its world-renowned beauty, has a special connection to Colombia, and inspired the creation of two delicious dessert flavors? Orchids! Beauty comes with age Orchids are one of the oldest flowering plants on the planet. Since there are a variety of subspecies around the world (excluding Antarctica), botanists believe that the…

Which creature enjoys social gatherings, is well adapted to its habitat, and can be very altruistic? The Banded Mongoose is a small mammal with a mass of approximately ≤2kg (or 4 lbs) found in (and indigenous to) various parts of Africa. While most other mongoose species live a solitary life, the banded mongoose is gregarious…

Biodiversity 6: Systems Thinking & Scenarios – Tools for Creating Better Ecological Futures Summer 2022, Wednesdays, June 22 – September 7 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie. He will hold two sessions every Wednesday, from 12 – 2 pm ET and 7 – 9 pm ET to accommodate students’ different schedules. The…

On Monday, May 30 at 12pm ET, we welcomed Miyawaki method advocates Hannah Lewis and Daan Bleichrodt to talk about Miyawaki forests and their role in climate resilience, urban beautification, and connecting all of us to nature. Stay tuned for the forthcoming talk recording! Hannah Lewis is the author of the upcoming book Mini Forest…

Which creature has an invisibility cloak, built-in snowshoes, and an important role in Central Asia’s mountainous ecosystems? Snow leopards! Mountain climber Snow leopards live throughout 12 countries in Central Asia, from China to Russia. The mountain ranges they inhabit are typically cold, dry, and arid. In the summer, these mountains are mostly yellow-brown, so snow…

The EcoRestoration Alliance grew out of the work of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (Bio4Climate). The Alliance is a rapidly growing global collaboration of scientists, thought leaders, conservationists, on-the-ground restoration practitioners and storytellers whose work challenges the prevailing view that reducing fossil fuel use at this late date can still result in the global cooling…

This week we ask: What plant is used around the world for its immunity-boosting properties, loves shady and moist habitat, and is loved in turn by all sorts of pollinators?  The Common Elderberry!  I first learned about the healing properties of the elderberry plant when I was talking with a family member, Ilma, in Finland.…

On May 30, 2022, Bio4Climate and the Campus Sustainability Committee at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) hosted an event as a part of the Worldwide Teach-In on Climate & Justice organized by Bard College. MCLA faculty, staff, and community members presented 5-minute talks on climate issues, followed by a dialogue with students. The…

What tiny bird fits in the palm of your hand, can kill a bird twice its size, nests in a hole carved out of a cactus plant by another species, and is named for earth itself? That would be the Ferruginous Cactus Pygmy Owl, or Glaucidium brasilianum. What a long name for an owl so…

Which creature is a combination of two other organisms, comes in bright colors, and helps us measure air quality? Lichen! Master of symbiosis Though we know lichens as creatures in and of themselves, lichens are actually a result of symbiosis, a mutually beneficial relationship between two or more species. In the lichen’s case, algae and fungi come together to form…

Which creature creates forests underwater, provides food and shelter for countless species, and helps stabilize the climate? Giant Kelp! Under the sea To witness the beauty of kelp, and watch how it contributes to the survival of numerous marine and terrestrial creatures, you have to go underwater. Although kelp looks like a plant, it is actually a type of…

Thousands of projects on six continents are endeavoring to cool our overheated planet and restore biodiversity loss by harnessing the power of photosynthesis, carbon sequestration and regeneration of degraded landscapes. Most of these efforts are not by governments or corporations, but by coalitions of researchers, farmers, fishermen, forest-dwellers, and village cooperatives. What would happen if…

This talk with Ed Huling, a U.S.-based organic farmer, introduces the concept of nutrient density and the impact of soil health on nutrient-dense food. Ed also describes the farming and forestry systems that he developed using restoration practices. Lastly, this talk also touches upon the benefits of regenerative agriculture and gardening when it comes to…

Increasingly frequent droughts are destroying food production levels in the more drought-prone half of sub-Saharan Africa. Although most people have attributed this gathering crisis to climate change, about 80 percent of the cause of the droughts is that fallowing – a process of allowing the forest to grow for fifteen years or more to replace…

This March, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate continues its series of mini-conferences exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. Our fourth installment features global perspectives on the challenges and opportunities to restoring water cycles. View the recording below, and access the chat and related resources, including presentation slides,…

Edible landscaping is the use of food-producing plants in the residential and public landscape. It combines fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, along with functional ornamental plants into aesthetically pleasing designs. Edible landscaping offers an alternative to conventional residential landscapes; edible plants can be just as attractive while producing fruits and…

Liberian environmental activist Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr. tells the story of how indigenous peoples, local communities and environmental rights activists came together to halt the work of the world’s largest oil palm companies, who were responsible for causing deforestation and accelerating climate change in West Africa. This talk is part of our Life Saves…

What long misnamed creature develops complex social structures and offers many lessons for the human species?  The Bonobo! The bonobo, or Pan paniscus, is a small primate native to the Congo. For a long time, it was known as the “pygmy Chimpanzee” and thought simply to be a smaller type of chimp. However, bonobos comprise their own species, and possess…

What miraculous plant, revered by ancient Israelites and once thought to be extinct, sprouted from 2,000 year old seeds in 2005?  The Judean Date Palm!  For as long as I can remember, I have been enthralled by ancient history and cultures. Even as early as elementary school, I would sit on the floor of my local public library…

What iconic creature can pull sleighs, see with superhero talent, and shape whole ecosystems? The reindeer! A very special deer The majestic reindeer is a member of the deer family found in Arctic forests and tundra. Native to Scandinavia and Northern Russia, they were later introduced to Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. Their species, Rangifer tarandus, includes both reindeer and caribou,…

What creature smells like lilies, is particular about the type of soil it resides in, and is the largest of its kind in North America? The Oregon Giant Earthworm! A fews days after moving into college this past August, I took a long walk in search of solitude and refuge from the chaos of move-in week. I found…

Earth is heating up: “Global surface temperature was 1.09°C higher in 2011– 2020 than 1850–1900,” according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s 6th Assessment Report.[3] Yet the mercury is not rising uniformly around the world – the Arctic is warming faster than are the lower latitudes, and temperatures over land are higher than over the…

Cloud cooling effects of afforestation and reforestation at midlatitudes, Cerasoli, Jin & Porporato 2021 Reforestation and afforestation (R&A) are well-established climate mitigation strategies in the wet tropics due to high carbon sequestration rates of forests/trees. However, at high latitudes (boreal regions), the low albedo of trees–compared to snow and other lighter land surfaces–leads to the…

The amount of Earth’s green cover (measured as Leaf Area Index[6]) has increased globally since 1980, especially in northern latitudes, where growing seasons have lengthened. This is due mainly to increasing CO2 concentration, but also to warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, nitrogen deposition, and land-use change (such as afforestation in China). Higher ambient CO2 can stimulate…

Turning lemons into lemonade, Sabajo et al. have used the great expansion of oil palm plantations and other crops in Indonesia to examine how such land-use change affects land surface temperature (LST). The authors observed a warming trend in the Jambi province of Sumatra of 1.05℃ and 1.56℃ in the morning and afternoon, respectively, between 2000 and 2015. The…

This paper analyzes how land use and land cover change (LULCC) affects temperature and humidity. The authors examined the differential effects of forest versus deforested land on temperature and humidity by comparing different land-cover models. One model simulated the total potential vegetation (“PotVeg”) that would cover Earth in the absence of human interference, while the…

Local temperatures are affected not only by global climatic factors, but also by radiative (albedo) and non-radiative (evapotranspiration and convection) mechanisms related to local vegetation cover. Through evapotranspiration, solar energy is converted to latent heat and released from the planet’s surface, while convection refers to the turbulent mixing of air that dissipates sensible heat. The…

Animals contribute vitally to Earth’s water, carbon, and nutrient cycles. Every ecosystem is supported by uncountable animal species, ranging from birds to insects and mammals to fish, as well as microscopic organisms. The devastating news is that the Earth is losing about 150 animal, plant and microbial species every day, mostly due to human activities.[8] Understanding…

Can large herbivores enhance ecosystem carbon persistence? Kristensen et al. 2021 This article considers the overlooked role of grasslands and large herbivores in carbon storage. The principal question the authors pose is: what is the impact of large wild and domestic herbivores on the ability of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon over the long…

This article considers the overlooked role of grasslands and large herbivores in carbon storage. The principal question the authors pose is: what is the impact of large wild and domestic herbivores on the ability of ecosystems to absorb and store carbon over the long term? Their answer is that the activity of species like cattle,…

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy Biodiversity for a Livable Climate has been hosting a series of mini-conferences exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. Thousands of projects on six continents are endeavoring to cool our overheated planet and restore biodiversity loss by harnessing the power of photosynthesis,…

What might well be considered the most beautiful freshwater fish, beloved by anglers and everyone else, especially when dressed up in its fall spawning colors? The ‘brook trout,’ of course, or salvelinus fontinalis, which is actually a char!   Where do we find this beauteous creature? Brook trout, otherwise known as brookies, eastern brook trout, speckled trout, brook char, squaretail, or even mud trout (though I’ve never heard them…

Fill out the form below to register for Miyawaki Forests: Boosting Biodiversity and Climate Resilience with Ecosystem Restoration – December 9, 2021 at 7 pm ET Please note that we want you to join us more than anything, so we never turn anyone away based on ability to pay. For free registration, please sign up…

Fill out the form below to register for Miyawaki Forests: Boosting Biodiversity and Climate Resilience with Ecosystem Restoration – December 9, 2021 7 pm ET If you are able, please purchase a ticket to support our events and other work to spread ecosystem restoration. For paid registration, please sign up here. 

You have successfully registered for Miyawaki Forests: Boosting Biodiversity and Climate Resilience with Ecosystem Restoration on December 9, 2021 at 7 pm ET. Click this Zoom Link to enter the event, and find more Zoom info below. You will also receive an email confirmation with Zoom information. Thanks for joining us! Return to the program page here.…

Nature’s Solutions As National Policy Mini-Conference, Danehy Park Miyawaki Forest Update, Bio4Climate Fall 2021 Course Updates, Featured Article, Featured Blog Post, Compendium Notes

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy Code Red at Glasgow: What did they miss? November 20, 2021 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET This November, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate continued its series of mini-conferences on how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. We turned our attention to the Glasgow…

What sort of voracious creature cannot see or smell well, feels its way around, and looks like someone’s nightmare enlarged? The star-nosed mole, of course, or condylura cristata! So what is a star-nosed mole and what is that horrible thing on its nose? The star-nosed mole is a very distinctive mammal, covered in dark brown, water-repellent fur, and wide…

What brightly-colored bird has a punk orange hairdo, doesn’t clean its dirty nest, and is a flying version of a skunk? The hoopoe bird, of course, or upupa epops (which is a great name in itself)! Three species: There are three species of hoopoe birds, identified by location, native to Africa, Eurasia and Madagascar.  These three species show…

What creature is a forest and swamp dweller, rarely seen in the wild, and treasured for its consummate beauty? The lady slipper, of course, or cypripedium reginae! The lady slipper is so named for its distinctive shape – its flowers have white upper petals and a little pouch, or labellum, of about 1-2” in length…

After hosting a successful series of courses on Biodiversity and Symbiosis with staff scientist and restoration ecologist Jim Laurie, we at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate have recognized the need for a larger curriculum on ecosystem restoration, nature-based solutions to climate change, and the transformations required for our civilization to navigate the challenges ahead of…

Fall 2021, Wednesdays, October 6th – December 22nd Biodiversity 5: Cooling the Climate by Mastering the Carbon Cycle 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie. He will hold two sessions every Wednesday, from 12 – 2 pm ET and 7 – 9 pm ET to accommodate students’ different schedules. The Excitement and Inspiration…

Biodiversity V, which takes a deeper dive into forest ecosystems, is starting on October 6, 2021. The course will focus on maximizing photosynthesis and balancing the carbon cycle to cool the climate. It will run for twelve consecutive Wednesdays, with choice of afternoon (1-3 pm EST) or evening classes (7-9 pm EST). It builds his on…

This September, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate continued its series of mini-conferences exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. Our second installment focuses on animals and their crucial role in shaping ecosystems and supporting healthy functioning carbon, water, nutrient, and energy cycles. Watch the video recording here: You…

Bio4Climate has been studying the Miyawaki Method of reforestation over the past several months. This 50-year-old technique involves densely planting native forest species from shrub to canopy layer to create tiny, fast-growing urban ecosystems[3]. Members of our staff have joined local efforts to establish Miyawaki “mini-forests” in Cambridge, MA, in Los Angeles, CA, and one…

The following articles lay out a few key ecological concepts and terms that may be helpful to become familiar with for the growing number of biodiversity-conscious people and organizations that are beginning to plant more native plants on their land. Native plants, native ecosystems, and native landscapes: an ecological definition of “native” will promote effective…

Produced by the Native Plant Society of Oregon, this article argues that, while the use of native species is an accepted tenet of conservation, the term “native” is not necessarily well understood; they attempt to clarify the term. “Any definition of a native species, native ecosystem, or native landscape requires an historical benchmark” [Wilson 1991:…

A vegetation type, or plant community, is identifiable by its distinct appearance compared to other landscape types within a landscape. For example, a grassland and a wetland differ in appearance from each other and from a forest, while a wetland-forest is yet another visibly different vegetation type. Plant species are recognizable by their form, which…

The widespread distribution of plants outside of their native range due to human activity is a significant yet underrecognized cause of global insect decline, according to this article. To illuminate the issue, the authors: “examine the evidence for and against the hypothesis that long term changes in the species composition of plant assemblages have contributed…

As one of China’s major cities, Shanghai’s natural sub-ecosystem[5] has suffered drastic damage due to human activities and urbanization. Although urban re-naturalization has gained attention from city leaders, urban tree planting has largely consisted of two methods with limited ecological potential. One favors fast-growing monocultures to produce timber products and other benefits, while the other approach…

Well-planned tree-planting projects are an important component of global efforts to improve ecological and human well-being. But tree planting becomes problematic when it is promoted as a simple, silver bullet solution and overshadows other actions that have greater potential for addressing the drivers of specific environmental problems, such as taking bold and rapid steps to…

Symbiosis: Structure and Functions, Ecological and Evolutionary Role, Sélosse 2000 (La Symbiose : Structures et Fonctions, Rôle Écologique et Évolutif) Book review by Ehsan Kayal What is symbiosis? How is it defined? What does it involve? And how did it come to be? These are some of the questions French Biologist Marc-André Sélosse explores in…

A book review by Rachel West As I read the first chapter, Wilson brought me far into the forests of the Amazon Basin to encounter canopy-dwelling birds and frogs found nowhere else on Earth; he showed me the life cycle of a tiny moth so specialized that the adult lives only in the fur of…

Bio4Climate’s new website launch, Nature’s Solutions As National Policy conference, Book Review: Braiding Sweetgrass, Indigenous Wisdom and the Power of Place with Dawn Knickerbocker and Juan Martinez, Biodiversity 4: Forests, Fungi, and Living Shorelines class with Jim Laurie, Featured Video: Indigenous Seed Keepers, Compendium Notes: Community owned solutions for fire management in tropical ecosystems: case…

What species has a diet that includes small wasps, may be helping to spread an invasive species, and can predict hurricane season intensity?  The veery!  Living The Dream If you live in North or South America, particularly in the Northern United States, chances are you’ve seen a veery before! This creature is a member of…

Registration for Jim Laurie’s Class – Summer 2021 Biodiversity IV: Forests, Fungi, and Living Shorelines Classes will begin on June 16, 2021 and run for twelve consecutive Wednesdays through September 1st, with choice of afternoon (1-3 pm ET) or evening classes (7-9 pm ET).  Jim will send you class notes and home study opportunities every…

What creature has no mouth, is known for colorful patterns, and is famous for mimicking a deadly predator? The Atlas Moth! The insect with a reputation Atlas moths live throughout India, China, Indonesia and Malaysia. This wide distribution covers secondary forests, shrublands, tropical areas, and rainforests.  The name “Atlas” likely came from the moth’s vibrant,…

Biodiversity IV: Fungi & Forests begins on June 16, 2021 and runs for twelve consecutive Wednesdays through September 1st, with choice of afternoon (12-2 pm EST) or evening classes (7-9 pm EST).  You are welcome to join at any time during the course. Jim will send you class notes and home study opportunities every week.…

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy June 5, 2021 9:00 – 11:00 am ET This June, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate hosted a mini-conference exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. This was the first in a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national policy, bringing together global…

What creature recently took social media by storm (allegedly), enjoys feasting at night, and is an under-appreciated pollinator? The Golden-Capped Fruit Bat! Also known as the giant golden-crowned flying fox (read on to find out why). The Megabat, and Fox? The golden-capped fruit bat is one of 150 species of megabats. Megabats live throughout Australia,…

Lincoln Smith runs Forested.us, a 10-acre forest garden research site in Bowie, MD.  He teaches or co-teaches all courses at Forested, and designs forest gardens. He is passionate about production ecosystems, and brings a background in agronomic science  and sustainable landscape design. Lincoln started Forested, LLC to develop and share research in forest gardening. He is…

Annita Seckinger is a soils and water scientist who works as a consultant for a range of organizations.  She is also the founder and president of the Watts Branch Watershed Alliance, an organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the Watts Branch Watershed in Montgomery Country, Maryland.  Annita and Dr. Ray Weil are currently collaborating…

Eric Olson is a senior lecturer in the graduate program on Sustainable International Development at the Heller School at Brandeis. He has a background in evolutionary biology, ecology, and forest science. Among his interests are global atmospheric circulation, climate change, the sources and maintenance of soil fertility, and the pathways of nitrogen through atmosphere, soils, and…

David Morimoto is associate professor of Biology at Lesley University, where he teaches ecology, ornithology, conservation biology, and animal behavior. He has studied the effects of forest fragmentation on birds in Massachusetts and is currently involved in research on urban birds.

Jonathan Bates is an ecologist and permaculture consultant. He worked with his friend Eric Tonsmeier to turn a neglected tenth of an acre in Holyoke into an urban oasis, an edible forest garden with 160 carefully chosen varieties of plants and trees. They tell the story in Paradise Lot (Chelsea Green Books).  At Food Forest Farm they…

Jono Neiger is a founding partner of Regenerative Design Group with 24 years of professional experience in permaculture, ecological land design, site planning, community development, agroforestry, land management and conservation, and restoration. Mr. Neiger teaches widely around the northeast and southeast at colleges, workshops, and conferences on the topics of permaculture, ecological design, sustainable water use, and productive…

Tom Newmark has spent fourteen years in the natural vitamin and supplement industry, building New Chapter into the number one company in the industry. Tom is also the founder of Sacred Seeds and co-owner of Finca Luna Nueva, an organic farming operation in Costa Rica that administers tropical farming systems trials, collaborating with the Rodale Institute…

William Moomaw is Professor of International Environmental Policy at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and founding director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy, the Tufts Climate Initiative and co-founder of the Global Development and Environment Institute. A physical chemist with a PhD from MIT, he works to translate science and technology into policy…

Mark Leighton is senior advisor in the Sustainability and Environmental Management Program at Harvard Extension School.  He joined the Harvard faculty in 1983 in the department of biological anthropology, having received his PhD from the University of California, Davis focusing on rainforest ecology. Since then he has studied topics in rainforest community ecology, vertebrate behavioral ecology,…

Set up biodiverse “pocket parks” and rain gardens. Pocket parks and rain gardens capture rainwater and allow for better water infiltration into soils, and increase soil health and groundwater recharge. Grow an inexpensive Miyawaki Forest in your urban habitat (shown: Clifton Park in Karachi), with native plants, pollinators and biodiverse animal life. If there’s not much space, you…

Educate your Neighbors. Host a talk at the library or local coffee shop on the vital importance of wetlands, grasslands, and forest ecosystems. Work with local schools. Incorporate lessons relating to organic gardening, urban forestry, wetlands, green infrastructure, and healthy soils. Improve children’s wellbeing. 

Support Regenerative Farms, Ranches, and Food ForestsRegenerative Farming provides for a number of environmental and health benefits. By eliminating toxics and focusing on revitalizing soils, regenerative farming increases water infiltration and biodiversity activity, producing food that is rich in nutrients and vitamins.

What iconic creature thinks beyond its lifespan, navigates new terrain with grace, and stuns North America with its migrations? The monarch butterfly!

Ben Friton is a soil ecologist, consultant and educator from the Washington DC area. For more than a decade he was a speech professional working with politicians, heads of state, CEOs, and philanthropic icons from around the world. In 2010, with the goal of helping to increase educational awareness and hyper-local food resiliency, he co-founded…

Lincoln Smith runs Forested, a 10-acre forest garden in Bowie, MD. He tests forest farming methods, educates aspiring forest farmers, consults on new forest farms and brings forest products to market. He produces a forest garden farm share, has designed food forest parks planted in the DC region, and holds forest-to-table events. Check out the…

Daniel N. Robin, founder & managing partner of In3 Capital Partners, ABetterWorkplace and former adjunct professor at Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS, now Middlebury Institute), and has taught entrepreneurship, business planning, impact investing, and innovation for sustainability as faculty for the Sustainability Academy, as an independent consultant, and within a top-10 ranked international MBA…

Bob O’Connor is Forest & Land Policy Director for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs (EEA). Bob’s responsibilities for the Commonwealth encompass an extraordinary array of all things land conservation and forestry, plus all EEA grant programs, plus a variety of other important conservation-related initiatives, like the relatively new Land Conservation Tax Credit…

Joan Maloof is the founder and Executive Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network.  Formerly on the faculty of Salisbury University, She spends her time lecturing, writing, visiting forests, assisting private landowners, and supporting local groups trying to protect community  forests from development.  She began her journey into the American forest as a scientist, studying the natural workings of…

The Homeschool Symbiosis Team Annie Selle studies the beautiful intricacies of nature through both art and biology, and is an advocate for animal rights and the environment. She believes that humans have the power to change our society, and is optimistic about the future of the Earth.   Jamila dePeiza-Kern has studied environmental science, chemistry, geography, and geology,…

Ana Sofia Gonzalez is an environmentalist with chemical engineering background focused on restorative agroforestry in dry lands to increase resilience of food production systems. She is currently developing strategies that propose restorative food systems as a mitigation strategy to reduce forced migration caused by climate change. Sofia is Founder of Plantum.mx, a consultancy firm focused in…

Tom Wessels is a terrestrial ecologist and professor emeritus at Antioch University New England. He is the author of The Myth of Progress, Towards a Sustainable Future, Granite, Fire, and Fog: The Natural and Cultural History of Acadia, Reading the Forested Landscape, and other books.

Musician and philosopher David Rothenberg wrote Why Birds Sing, Bug Music, Survival of the Beautiful and many other books,published in at least eleven languages. He has more than twenty CDs out, including One Dark Night I Left My Silent House which came out on ECM, and most recently Berlin Bülbul and Cool Spring. He has performed or recorded with Pauline Oliveros, Peter Gabriel, Ray Phiri, Suzanne…

David Morimoto is an ecologist, conservation biologist, and animal behaviorist by training. He has studied the effects of forest fragmentation on Ovenbirds in Massachusetts and performed basic bird inventories in the tropics, most recently on the Rupununi River in Guyana, South America. He is currently involved in urban bird research studying Cambridge birds and is working on the…

Carol Evans, Nevada BLM fisheries biologist for the Elko District of the Bureau of Land Management in Nevada, joined the U.S. Forest Service in the late 1980’s and helped survey over 1,000 miles of streams in NE Nevada. She began her career with BLM in Elko in 1988 and since that time BLM and local ranchers…

Foster Brown, senior scientist at Woods Hole Research Center and recipient of the Chico Mendes Forest Citizenry prize, is an environmental geochemist whose research interests focus on global environmental change and sustainable development in the southwestern Amazon Basin. He coordinates the Center’s program dealing with climate change and land use in the trinational southwestern Amazonia. Dr. Brown spent over…

Philip Tanimoto is the Executive Director of the The Cloud Forest Conservation Initiative.  Tanimoto ‘discovered’ the little-known Cerro El Amay Cloud Forest Ecosystem during his doctoral research on cloud forest birds in 2006. He founded the Cloud Forest Conservation Initiative in 2009, and since then, he has guided its projects and expanded its conservation approach. CFCI builds lasting relationships with local…

Alfredo Quarto is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Mangrove Action Project. He is a veteran campaigner with over 35 years experience working on international environmental and social justice issues. His experiences range over many different countries and several environmental organizations, with a long-term focus on marine ecology, wildlife, forestry and human rights. Alfredo has spoken…

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy – June 5, 2021 9:00-11:00 am ET This June, join us at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate for a mini-conference exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. This is the first in a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national policy,…

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy – June 5, 2021 9:00-11:00 am ET This June, join us at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate for a mini-conference exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. This is the first in a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national policy,…

Nature’s Solutions as National Policy June 5, 2021 9:00 – 11:00 am ET This June, join us at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate for a mini-conference exploring how we can leverage nature’s solutions to shape policy on climate action and resilience. This is the first in a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national…

Which creature is the largest known tree dwelling mammal, has a mother-child relationship like no other, and can memorize pathways through an entire forest? Orangutans! Ape-like but Not Quite Although orangutans are considered one of the four great apes, alongside gorillas, bonobos, and chimpanzees, they have characteristics that set them apart from these other species.…

Ecosystem Restoration Camps, Life Saves the Planet lecture series, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, The Secret Language of Trees, Calling Home, an e-zine from Doug Zook and the Global Ecology Education Initiative, Equinox by Tamiko Beyer, ‘Teeming with biodiversity’: Green groups buy Belize forest to protect it ‘in perpetuity’, Integrating Agricultural Landscapes with…

Which creature existed before the dinosaurs, is an aerial genius, and can detect things we can only witness through slow-motion cameras? The dragonfly! Predecessors to the Dinosaurs Dragonflies were some of the first winged insects to evolve, about 300 million years ago. When they first evolved, their wingspans measured up to two feet! In contrast,…

Discusses forest dynamics and ecological intensification in regulating ecosystems, managing ecosystem services, and enriching biodiversity. Offers several examples of eco-restoration work, “Blessed Unrest,” by individuals and organizations around the world.

Covers a broad selection of eco-restoration articles, including soils, earthworms, water, wetlands, croplands, grasslands and forests. We also discuss how paradigms and peer review both advance and constrain the practice of science.

What creature the size of a paperclip is lethal enough to kill ten grown men? The poison dart frog! What makes the poison dart frog so powerful? Poison dart frogs – so named because the Indigenous Emberá people of Colombia traditionally used the venom in blow darts – are some of the most toxic creatures…

Which creature looks like a snake, is actually a fish, and has shocking abilities? The Electric Eel! Misnamed Electric eels are not actually eels. They are a type of (scaleless) freshwater fish found mostly in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. They live along coastal plains and swamps, in very muddy water. Add…

Staff and Board Beck Mordini, Executive Director Beck brings 20 years of nonprofit experience including protecting the biodiversity of native plants at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and protecting undocumented workers from exploitation in Washington state. Her studies of International Environmental Law in Nairobi, Kenya were her first exposure to the issues of desertification and…

Eighth Compendium Issue, Mike Hands and Rattan Lal on Agroforestry, Voices of Water for Climate, Ecosystem Restoration Camps Symposium, Jim Laurie’s Biodiversity and Symbiosis III Class, Hannah Lewis’ Call Story, Grassland 2.0, Compendium Notes: Fence ecology: Frameworks for understanding the ecological effects of fences, McInturff et al. 2020

Welcome back to our Featured Creature series, where we share a creature whose evolutionary traits, special role within its ecosystem, or fun facts have captured our attention.  This week we ask, What creatures navigate oceans, climb mountains, feed forests, and motivate us to destroy renewable energy infrastructure? Pacific Salmon, of course! How do salmon find…

Which creature shares the name of a fruit and the term locals from a certain island nation call themselves? A Kiwi! Meet the Cousins The kiwi, a relatively small bird, is related to some of the largest birds that grace our planet, including: Emus and Australia’s Cassowaries How’s that for getting the short-end of the…

Florence Reed is a prize-winning thought leader, innovative practitioner, and deeply engaging speaker who believes that when people work together, things can change for the better. This belief led her to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras in the early nineties. In 1997, Reed founded Sustainable Harvest International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to working…

Sven Pihl, founder of CT Edible Ecosystems, LLC is a Regenerative Land Planner/Designer and Permaculture educator based in Connecticut. Sven designs multifunctional Edible Landscapes and Forest Gardens for homes, commercial properties, campuses and public spaces. He’s passionate about regenerative landscape design to create productive agro-ecosystems. Sven’s beginnings were with the financial crash of 2008 where he…

Holly M. Paar is the Advancement Director for Dogwood Alliance, a Southern US based nonprofit mobilizing diverse voices to protect southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. Her work involves coordinating with frontline communities and partners at the intersection of climate, forests and justice, including Dogwood’s participation in the Justice First Tour, launched by Reverend Leo…

Roland Bunch is one of the most well-respected leaders in regenerative land management, both in terms of food security and for addressing ecological degradation and climate change. He has worked as a consultant in sustainable agricultural development for over 45 NGOs and governments in 50 nations, including Cornell University, the Ford Foundation, Oxfam, Save the Children,…

Alfred Brownell is an environmental and human rights lawyer and executive director of Green Advocates (GA), a Liberian NGO that he founded in order to represent communities seeking to protect their environmental and human rights. Brownell also established a network to connect community-based organizations throughout Liberia—the Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD)—to collaborate on environmental justice…

All over the world, from Australia to Europe to North and South America, wildfires have waged destruction on natural landscapes and human settlements alike. The devastation of these disasters is heartbreaking, and the images of catastrophe – walls of flame, scorched wildlife, a world gone red – are unforgettable. There is no more potent image…

Our burning planet: why we must learn to live with fire, Pyne 2020 Steven J. Pyne is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University and the author of several books on fire history and policy. He wrote this opinion piece as a protest against the prevention and suppression of wildfires in our land management process.…

Steven J. Pyne is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University and the author of several books on fire history and policy. He wrote this opinion piece as a protest against the prevention and suppression of wildfires in our land management process. He argues that revising our perception of fire and accepting its presence in…

In this podcast interview, Dr. Chad Hanson, an ecologist and fire researcher, shares his perspective on the 2018 wildfires in the American West and some myths that have circulated about fire management in their wake. First, there is a perception that wildfires in forested regions are so devastating that they reverse the ‘carbon sink’ effect…

Indigenous groups across the world have developed ecological knowledge linked to the places they inhabit, including prescribed fire practices used to maintain healthy ecosystems. Mistry et al. examine the challenges Indigenous communities in South America face in managing the landscape through fire and preserving such knowledge across generations in sometimes hostile political climates. However, there…

It has long been suspected that the increasing abundance of invasive grass species may contribute to wildfires in the United States by adding abundant new fuels to ecosystems, increasing the range of conditions that lead to fire ignition, and enabling the development of larger, hotter fires. The new fire regimes (patterns of fire duration, intensity,…

Establishing ecological corridors is a way to mitigate the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Ecological corridors are linear landscape elements connecting otherwise isolated habitat patches within a larger matrix of environmentally degraded lands (urban or agricultural, for example). The corridors facilitate gene dispersal and migration, while also expanding habitat range for species constrained by…

A “Global Safety Net” to reverse biodiversity loss and stabilize Earth’s climate, Dinerstein et al. 2020 Currently, 15.1% of land on Earth is conservation protected. This article maps out an additional 35.3% of land needing near-term protection, along with ecological corridor routes connecting these areas. Half of the planet’s land is needed to serve as…

Changzhou is a city near the Yangtze River delta on the east coast of China that has undergone extensive urban development. “From 2006 to 2014, the built-up area in the city increased by 25.68%” [Gao 2017: 2]. This study is part of an effort to boost biodiversity and ecosystem services in the city, which, at…

In contrast to the Gao et al. [2017] article (above), this study maps out an ecological network spanning the entire nation of China. Most such ecological corridor analysis has previously focused at the local and regional levels, according to the authors. They note that in addition to protecting biodiversity, ecological corridors (ECs) purify air, regulate…

‘Road verges’ are strips of land on either side of roads and highways that are on average 3-4m wide, but can be as narrow as a few centimeters or many meters wide. “Road verges are commonly grassland habitats, but can be shrubland, forest or artificial arrangements of trees and horticultural plants, and we use the…

While not an ecological corridor per se, the Natura 2000 network is the largest coordinated network of conservation areas in the world. Covering 17.9% of Europe’s land area and nearly 10% of the continent’s marine areas, the network includes 27,852 sites with an area of 1,358,125 km2. The terrestrial portion of the Natura 2000 network…

Produced by a regional consortium on the environment in Brittany, France, this report describes the ecological value of woody strips encircling agricultural fields and enmeshing the countryside, their decline, and ways to incentivize their protection. Brittany is a heavily agricultural region that also features a long stretch of coastline where urban development and expansion is…

The fate of biodiversity within protected areas is therefore inextricably linked to the broader landscape context, including how the surrounding agricultural matrix is designed and managed [Harvey 2007: 8]. Rather than discussing ecological corridors per se, this article emphasizes the importance of a whole-landscape approach to biodiversity conservation. Pointing out that protected nature reserves are…

The concept of sustainable development presumes that human economic systems and overall wellbeing depend on functioning ecosystems. Therefore, ecological rhythms should not be transgressed to the point that they fail to provide the vital services needed today and in future generations. According to this model, economic development becomes a necessary but insufficient condition for society…

Written by an anthropologist working in Central American conservation efforts for more than 10 years, this article describes the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) project as having succumbed to a neoliberal agenda. Although originally spearheaded by Central American environmentalists, the notion of cross-border environmental collaboration was adopted by the World Bank and large international conservation organizations…

One of the world’s largest corridor projects is the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC). Initiated in the 1990s, the MBC aims to connect protected areas between southeastern Mexico and Panama [Meyer 2019: 2]. The ecological functionality of the MBC has not been much assessed, in part because direct approaches to measuring connectivity are costly and challenging.…

The Belize government approved a plan in February 2018 to create a 110-square-kilometer biological corridor connecting two nature reserves in the northeast of the country. This outcome resulted from collaboration among NGOs, the government and private property owners. The latter agreed to conserve (to not deforest or otherwise degrade) the parts of their land that would…

Vijay Kumar on Community Managed Natural Farming, SUGi Spotlight, Jim Laurie’s Biodiversity and Symbiosis III: Mastering the Water Cycle, Adam Sacks’ Call Story, Ngā Uruora Book Review, The Hidden World of Fungi, Compendium Notes: Effectiveness of the Miyawaki method in Mediterranean forest restoration programs, Schirone, Salis & Vessella 2011

Spring 2021, Wednesdays, February 3rd – April 21st 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie, held at 1pm and 7pm ET on Zoom. The Excitement and Inspiration of Science for the Curious to the Serious and everyone in-between. A fully interactive online adventure with discussions, experiments and explorations for independent thinkers of any…

Increase your impact with our new Matching Grant! A generous supporter has offered us a $5,000 grant that will double your one-time donations or match three of your monthly donations. We have until May 31, 2021 to meet our match. Please donate today! How would you like to partner with the planet? Our Earth is…

Saving Life on Earth is Our Highest Calling!, Tim LaSalle on Regenerative Agriculture, Entangled Life Book Review, Jim Laurie’s Biodiversity and Symbiosis II Class, Compendium Notes: Ecological restoration success is higher for natural regeneration than foractive restoration in tropical forests, Crouzeilles et al. 2017

Fall 2020, Wednesdays, September 16th – December 9th Biodiversity 2: Systems Thinking and Transformation – Building Teams for Planetary Restoration. 12 weekly classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie. The Excitement and Inspiration of Science for the Curious to the Serious and everyone in-between. A fully interactive online adventure with discussions, experiments and explorations for…

The subject of infectious disease became both fascinating and uncomfortably relevant with the global breakout of Covid-19 in early 2020. Are bats to blame, hunting and selling of wild game or seafood markets? It turns out that the destruction of nature is the root problem, according to the UN environment chief and lead scientists for…

Anthropogenic environmental change and the emergence of infectious diseases in wildlife, Daszak, Cunningham & Hyatt 2001 Humans are not the only species to suffer global pandemics. Planetwide, fungal disease ravages amphibians, just as honeybees are ravaged by varroasis. A herpes virus caused mass mortality of pilchard fish off the coast of Australia and New Zealand…

This paper contextualizes reduced transmission of infectious disease as one of the many ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. Changes in biodiversity affect infectious disease transmission by changing the abundance of the host and/or vector; the loss of non-host species may increase the density of host species, increasing the encounter rates between pathogen and host. Often,…

Human activities are dramatically reducing biodiversity, and the frequency and severity of infectious disease outbreaks in human, wildlife, and domesticated species are increasing. These concurrent patterns have prompted suggestions that biodiversity and the spread of diseases may be causally linked. For example, the dilution effect hypothesis proposes that diverse host communities inhibit the abundance of…

This article very pragmatically addresses the question of whether biodiversity conservation could be an effective public health tool against infectious disease emergence and transmission. Determining whether biodiversity conservation is an effective public health strategy requires answering four questions: (1) Is there a general, causal relationship between host biodiversity and disease risk? (2) If the link…

The UN’s Decade of Ecosystem Restoration declaration aims to “prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide,” stating that “there has never been a more urgent need to restore damaged ecosystems than now” [UNEP/FAO Factsheet 2020]. Estimates of global land degradation range from 25% to 75% of Earth’s land surface. The uncertainty is due…

Ecological restoration success is higher for natural regeneration than for active restoration in tropical forests, Crouzeilles et al. 2017 This meta-analysis comparing active restoration to natural ecosystem regeneration found the latter to be more effective. The authors conclude that “lower-cost natural regeneration surpasses active restoration in achieving tropical forest restoration success for biodiversity and vegetation…

In continuation of the “blessed unrest” section of previous issues of the Compendium, the following sketches illustrate how people everywhere are seeing that humanity depends on nature for both our physical and spiritual wellbeing and our survival. As this awareness takes hold, people act to protect and restore not only the land, but also our…

https://www.yesmagazine.org/issue/just-transition/2017/10/12/the-hopeful-work-of-turning-appalachias-mountaintop-coal-mines-into-farms/ In Mingo County, West Virginia, the soil on a flat expanse of what had been a mountaintop is compacted, composed mainly of blasted rocks, and lacks organic matter, due to several years of coal mining. The ground is harder than anticipated; even the soil scientists say they are not sure how long it will…

Blessed Unrest, Hannah Lewis on Miyawaki Forests, William Horvath and the Promise of Permaculture, Compendium Notes: “Impacts of biodiversity on the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases,” Keesing et al. 2010

Increasingly frequent droughts are destroying food production levels in the more drought-prone half of sub-Saharan Africa. Although most people have attributed this gathering crisis to climate change, about 80% of the cause of the droughts is that fallowing–allowing the forest to grow for fifteen years or more to replace the soil’s organic matter–is on its…

Summer 2020, June 2 – August 18 Biodiversity, Symbiosis and Planetary Regeneration: Exploring Nature’s Possibilities for the Future! Weekly Classes with our staff scientist, Jim Laurie The Excitement and Inspiration of Sciencefor the Curious to the Serious and everyone in-between A fully interactive online adventure with discussions, experiments and explorations for independent thinkers of any age,…

Edible landscaping is the use of food-producing plants in the residential and public landscape. It combines fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, along with functional ornamental plants into aesthetically pleasing designs. Edible landscaping offers an alternative to conventional residential landscapes; edible plants can be just as attractive while producing fruits and…

Increasingly frequent droughts are destroying food production levels in the more drought-prone half of sub-Saharan Africa. Although most people have attributed this gathering crisis to climate change, about 80% of the cause of the droughts is that fallowing–allowing the forest to grow for fifteen years or more to replace the soil’s organic matter–is on its…

Pest Control with Wildflowers instead of Chemicals, Forest Foods, George Scarlett and Teaching Kids about Climate Change, Compendium Notes: Ongoing accumulation of plant diversity through habitat connectivity in an 18-year experiment, Damschen et al. 2019

Blessed Unrest – Program – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners All sessions will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., EDT.  On each day at around 1:30 p.m. there will be an option to attend a free hour-long workshop with one of the day’s speakers, depending on speaker availability. 10:30  Welcome and…

Native Foods and Agroforestry in California, San Antonio’s Green Stormwater Management, Dave Chapman and the Real Organic Project, Compendium Notes: The rhizosphere – roots, soil and everything in between, McNear 2013

Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners 2020 Blessed Unrest Sponsors and Partners Sponsors The vision of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation is a world in which the boundaries between the human and natural world are indistinguishable and the totality of human needs are produced in a way that regenerates the ecosystems which we inhabit. To…

We begin this issue of the Compendium by exploring the role of cities in the era of climate breakdown. This section features “Heat Planet,” an essay by architect Christopher Haines, member of Bio4Climate’s Leadership Team, exploring the global implications of the pervasive phenomenon of the “Urban Heat Island” and other heat-producing paved and de-vegetated surfaces around…

The industrialization that has built today’s splendid high-tech cities isolated us from the land and water sources of the materials fueling this progress. Our cities scarcely reveal that the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, the purification of waters, and to some extent the bucolic weather patterns we have long relished have been gifts…

Global change and the ecology of cities, Grimm et al. 2008 Whereas just 10 percent of people lived in cities in 1900, now more than half the global population is urban and that proportion continues to grow. Cities occupy less than 3% of the Earth’s land surface, but generate 78% of global CO2 emissions and…

Whereas just 10 percent of people lived in cities in 1900, now more than half the global population is urban and that proportion continues to grow. Cities occupy less than 3% of the Earth’s land surface, but generate 78% of global CO2 emissions and consume 76% of wood used for industrial purposes. Urban dwellers depend…

“The geometry, spacing and orientation of buildings and outdoor spaces” [Kleerekoper 2012: 30], as well as the prevalence of hard surfaces and reduced amount of vegetation, strongly modify the micro-climate of urban areas compared to rural surroundings. Characterized by an increase in temperature, a phenomenon referred to as urban heat island [UHI] effect has multiple…

This report, led by Ban Ki Moon (UN), Bill Gates (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Kristalina Georgieva (World Bank), calls on decision makers worldwide to facilitate coordinated action to help communities adapt to climate change. Importantly, the report makes the case for nature-based adaptation approaches, which inherently help mitigation efforts as well. Adaptation measures…

By Christopher A. Haines, Biodiversity for a Livable Climate Christopher Haines is a seasoned architect licensed in both MA and NY who applies expertise in regenerative architectural design, healthy materials, preservation, renovation and specification writing to small commercial and urban projects. He has spoken for years at US and international forums as well as formally…

A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation, Garnett et al. 2018 Indigenous people make up less than 5% of the global population, but their lands encompass 37% of the planet’s remaining natural lands and (partially overlapping with natural lands) 40% of Earth’s protected area, much of this in sparsely inhabited…

This long-term experiment measured the difference in colonization and extinction rates of connected habitat fragments versus isolated fragments. The connected fragments were linked by a narrow (150m by 25m) strip of habitat. These habitat corridors increased the biodiversity of connected fragments by 14% after 18 years compared to their isolated counterparts. In a large and…

The growth rate of trees – and thus their accumulation of carbon – increases continuously with tree size. Even though the leaves of smaller, younger trees are more efficient (more productive per unit area of leaf surface), larger trees have more total leaf surface area and thereby grow at a faster rate than their smaller…

In continuation of the “blessed unrest” section of Compendium V3N1, the following sketches illustrate how people throughout the world are coming to recognise the enormous value of intact ecosystems, and are doing their part to protect and restore. Adopting Paul Hawken’s terminology and characterization of “blessed unrest” as a spontaneous, decentralized global social movement, we…

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/sri-lanka-wields-mangroves-its-tsunami-shield-against-climate-change/?n3wsletter&utm_source=Mongabay+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a1cff7d467-Newsletter_2019_09_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_940652e1f4-a1cff7d467-77145713 Sri Lanka is home to 82 lagoons and estuaries and is among the top five countries that will be impacted by climate risk. Thilakaratne De Silva, a 63-year old local fisherman, saw the Tsunami of December 2004 sweep off half his home village. He was among the first to join hands with other community…

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/09/for-one-indonesian-village-mangrove-restoration-has-been-all-upside/?n3wsletter&utm_source=Mongabay+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a1cff7d467-Newsletter_2019_09_26&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_940652e1f4-a1cff7d467-77145713 Demand for firewood in recent years led to the depletion of the mangrove forest in the Indonesia village of Paremas. For years the people’s occupations were agriculture and fishing. Depleted fish stock, poor irrigation and challenges associated with land ownership drove most of the men to work overseas in order to raise money to…

https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-science-and-art-of-restoring-a-damaged-wetland “It was a stink hole,” says Al Rizzo, the refuge manager of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware Bay. Humans had messed with hydrology in an ill-conceived project aimed to convert salt marsh into a large open freshwater impoundment system to attract migrating waterfowl among others. Lines of dunes and tidal gates were…

Newsletter stories; Fruit Tree Portfolios, Coastal Defense Approach, Felix Finkbeiner, Barn Swallows, Compendium Notes: The legacy of 4,500 years of polyculture agroforestry in the eastern Amazon, Maezumi et al. 2018

Barn Swallows, birds who eat insects as they scurry across the sky, are disappearing. This isn’t surprising, I suppose, given that they are among the 2.9 billion birds lost across species in the United States – representing one third of the bird numbers we had 50 years ago. What did surprise me is how we got here, according to an intriguing explanation from a leading economist, Alfred E. Kahn.

Walter Jehne talk; Afforestt, Ungardening Movement in America, Small-scale Farmers in Brazil; Judy Schwartz, Compendium Notes: Restoration of living environment based on vegetation ecology: theory and practice, Miyawaki 2004

Blessed Unrest, Matt Russell and Iowa Farmers, Prairies Restoration Movement, Paula Phipps, Compendium Notes: Trees, forests, and water: cool insights for a hot world

This study models the total amount of land globally that is suitable for reforestation, finding that there is sufficient space to meet the IPCC’s recommendation of reforestation on 1 billion hectares to limit global warming to 1.5C by 2050. The potential forest land identified in this study excludes urban and agricultural land; rather, it “exists…

Red alder fix atmospheric nitrogen through a symbiosis with bacteria that colonize their roots. This study showed that when more nitrogen is produced than is needed by the plant, the resulting excess of nitric acid acts to dissolve bedrock minerals in the soil, making them available to plants. The substantial increase in mineral weathering by…

Natural environments have been devastated and destroyed worldwide by recent rapid development, urbanization and industrialization. It is no exaggeration to say that the basis of human life is now threatened (Miyawaki 1982a,b). We ecologists have been giving warnings against the devastation of nature through study results, and have produced some good effects. Besides criticism, however,…

The concept of ecological intensification in agriculture offers a framework for handling the question of how to produce enough food for a growing global human population while simultaneously protecting biodiversity. It draws on the language of ecosystem services, which includes supporting services such as soil formation, regulating services (pollination and pest control), provisioning services (production…

One million of an estimated 8 million species on Earth are at risk of extinction in the coming decades, according to a May 2019 report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Children today will live as adults in a world without the Milky Stork, without the Caquetá Tití Monkey, and…

The following sketches are but a tiny sampling of the countless ways people throughout the world push back against the socio-economic and political forces of destruction both of ecosystems and of the social fabric of society. Adopting Paul Hawken’s terminology and characterization of “blessed unrest” as a spontaneous, decentralized global social movement, we here present…

The deep winter snow falls on the mountains around the Methow Valley in the state of Washington are declining. To manage problems with drought, the Methow Beaver Project has been capturing, tagging, matching male and female beavers and releasing them in key valley areas. The project workers know beavers are master engineers that know how…

Indigenous hunters have positive impacts on food webs in desert Australia, Penn State 2019 When Australian authorities removed indigenous Martu people from their traditional lands in the desertic center of the continent in the mid-1900s, endemic species there declined or went extinct. Researchers observed that the Martu’s hunting regime of small burning patches of land…

The Gaia hypothesis invites us to imagine Earth as an integral living system in order to explore the mechanisms by which life helps create and maintain the conditions for life, such as an oxygenated atmosphere. “The Gaia theory proposes that organisms contribute to self-regulating feedback mechanisms that have kept the Earth’s surface environment stable and…

As in every edition of this compendium, here we assemble and summarize research offering evidence of the power of ecosystems to address climate breakdown. The themes presented: forest dynamics ecological intensification and transformative change  were chosen based on recurrent themes of mostly recent reports and studies. Not surprisingly given its centrality to ecosystem function, the idea…

Water plays a critical role in restoring a livable climate. A New Water Paradigm is emerging to help us restore landscapes naturally, so we no longer wastefully "drain the rain" but instead "retain the rain" with water catchments, soil, plants and animals. The result? We can renew our climates through local action, by allowing rainwater to soak into the soil to restore local land-based water cycles. We can also expect reduced flooding and pollution, renewed springs and streams, more drinking water, more food, less poverty and conflict, and improved wildlife habitat. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain!

While previous issues of the Compendium have addressed ecosystem strategies to reverse global warming, here we discuss ecosystem restoration to adapt to the consequences of climate change. From drought in Cape Town and wildfire in California and Greece to flooding in Beijing, Paris, Houston and North Carolina, each new report of catastrophe makes climate change…

The concept of hydrological drought (as distinct from meteorological drought) helps explain the success of these age-old techniques to enhance surface and groundwater supply. Meteorological drought is the occurence of abnormally low rainfall for a given region. Hydrological drought is a consequence of meteorological drought – it happens when surface and ground waters run low thanks…

Given competing interests for floodplain property, some have argued for strategic partial reconnection of floodplains to the river by allowing portions of floodplain to flood, so that pressure elsewhere along the river during a flood may be alleviated [Opperman 2009]. For example, California’s Yolo Bypass was created in the early 1900s after the Sacramento River…

We know how to enhance resilience to extreme weather where we live and work. Communities throughout the world are utilizing these approaches, and here we highlight several initiatives in a variety of habitats to illustrate potential paths forward. More information is included just below each project description. Following this section is a collection of summaries…

From California to Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Washington DC, people are coming together in their communities to learn what river their watershed drains into, how urban stormwater management has impaired that river, and how to restore river-floodplain ecosystems through a grassroots approach. A watershed is an area of land over which any rain that falls…

To reduce the severity of flooding in Lydbrook, Gloucestershire, England, where a 2012 flood did extensive damage, the UK Ministry of Environment released a family of beavers upstream of the village in a 6.5 ha enclosure in a publicly-owned forest. Scientists who have studied the stream believe the beaver dams could hold back some 6,000…

China’s Loess Plateau, roughly the size of France, lies between Tibet and Beijing just south of Mongolia, and is traversed by the Yellow River. Once covered in forest and grassland and the center of Chinese power and wealth, this area eventually became severely degraded by agriculture and unmanaged grazing. The fragile loess soils, composed of…

The 2011 drought in Texas was the worst in recorded history and it lasted until 2015. The ground was so dry that Jonathan Cobb, a 4th generation farmer in Blackland Prairie of central Texas, couldn’t even get crops planted. His 2,500-acre conventional row crop operation was already struggling financially through a treadmill of increasingly more inputs…

The following articles were selected and summarized by Bio4Climate’s Compendium editors and writers. The purpose of this collection is to highlight the scientific evidence and argumentation showing healthy restored and protected ecosystems as a powerful (albeit under-recognized) tool for managing the weather extremes wrought by climate change.   Floodplains and wetlands: making space for water…

Sustainable floodplains through large-scale reconnection to rivers, Opperman et al. 2009 The area of floodplains allowed to perform the natural function of storing and conveying floodwaters must be expanded by strategically removing levees or setting them back from the river. Floodplain reconnection will accomplish three primary objectives: flood-risk reduction, an increase in floodplain goods and…

Human societies tend to value the potential benefits that a landscape might provide in a limited way, adjusting management practices towards desired outputs by maximizing the benefits gained from one or some of the services (often the provision of goods) leading to the loss of multifunctionality and the degradation of natural capital at the expense…

This article emphasizes the global importance of protecting and restoring wetlands in the context of climate change and outlines policy strategies for wetland protection and restoration. Wetlands play a major though under-appreciated role in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Wetlands enhance local resilience to climate change by providing: “flood storage, buffering of storm damage, protecting…

Beaver dams and overbank floods influence groundwater–surface water interactions of a Rocky Mountain riparian area, Westbrook et al. 2006 This study provides empirical evidence that beavers influence hydrologic processes in riparian areas. Conducted at the headwaters of the Colorado River in the Rocky Mountains, the study examines patterns from two beaver dams of surface inundation,…

This study provides empirical evidence that beavers influence hydrologic processes in riparian areas. Conducted at the headwaters of the Colorado River in the Rocky Mountains, the study examines patterns from two beaver dams of surface inundation, groundwater flow, and groundwater level dynamics. The authors observe that : Beaver dams on the Colorado River caused river…

Hot days in the city? It’s all about location, NOAA 2018 In a project funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), about two dozen citizen scientists measured temperatures in Baltimore and Washington DC on two of the hottest days of 2018. By measuring temperatures second by second with thermal sensors while driving prescribed routes…

Cheatgrass is an introduced annual grass that has spread everywhere throughout the western USA. It is among the first plants to emerge in the spring, after which it completes its life cycle, drying out in summer and thus creating a continuous, dry, fine fuel load across the landscape. This study examined the cheatgrass invasion’s effect…

This study distinguishes between meteorological droughts (lower than average rainfall) and hydrological droughts, where rainfall shortage has eventually led to surface or groundwater levels falling, to predict area burnt from wildfires. By contrast, most studies consider only climate data when predicting wildfire, yet “these overlook subsurface processes leading to hydrological drought, an important driver” [Taufik…

Close up on California in the era of climate change: a verdant vision for fire-prone land Picture California in the 1700s, around the time the first Spanish missions appeared. It must have looked like heaven on earth for the 100,000s of native people living there [Ecological Society of America 2014], cradled between forested mountains and…

Picture California in the 1700s, around the time the first Spanish missions appeared. It must have looked like heaven on earth for the 100,000s of native people living there [Ecological Society of America 2014], cradled between forested mountains and sparkling ocean. Meandering streams and rivers teeming with salmon criss-cross the valley and are knit together…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Almost a quarter of all mammal species are bats. Some consume insects, others pollinate a wide range of plants, and some are highly effective seed dispersers in tropical rainforests. In sum, they provide people and the planet with…

The current planetary upheavals weigh heavily upon us – and today more than ever we need to be on Nature’s side.  Her solutions to global environmental collapse are powerful and close to home, in all the waters and on every continent.  Let’s talk about eco-restoration everywhere, and proceed globally with all due haste. I’m confident…

Primal Pastures, Trees for the Future, Determination!, Symbiotic Earth, Citizens Regeneration Lobby, Voices of Nature, Arielle Martinez Cohen, and Compendium Notes: Tropical reforestation and climate change: beyond carbon

Water and vegetation are climate heroes, co-starring in a story about as old as terrestrial life on Earth yet under-recognized in mainstream climate politics. Not only does the vegetation embedded in ecosystems act as a giant CO2-absorption machine, constantly removing the greenhouse gas from the air and storing much of it in soil and biomass,…

Evapotranspiration – A Driving Force in Landscape Sustainability, Eiseltová 2012 Vegetation cover cools Earth when it intercepts the sun’s energy. This is not just by providing shade, but also through evapotranspiration, which is how plants regulate their own internal temperatures. For a plant … transpiration[5] is a necessity by which a plant maintains its inner environment…

Vegetation cover cools Earth when it intercepts the sun’s energy. This is not just by providing shade, but also through evapotranspiration, which is how plants regulate their own internal temperatures. For a plant … transpiration[5] is a necessity by which a plant maintains its inner environment within the limit of optimal temperatures. And at the level…

​The authors examine ecological and geophysical principles to explain how land far inland away from the ocean can remain moist, given that gravity continuously pulls surface and groundwater into the ocean over time. All freshwater on land originates in the ocean from which it has evaporated, is carried on air flux, and precipitates over the…

Human modification of the hydrological cycle has profoundly affected the flow of liquid water across the Earth’s land surface. Compared to changes to liquid water flow, alteration of water vapor flows through land-use changes has received comparatively less attention, despite compelling evidence that such alteration can influence the functioning of the Earth System. We show…

The Indian summer monsoon rainfall has decreased since 1950, and several hypotheses have been proposed to explain why. Most of these hypotheses involving weakening temperature gradients over the continent. This study explores the potential link between a weakening monsoon and widespread land use land cover (LULC) change from woody savanna to cropland in recent decades.…

Agrochemical companies argue that crops can’t be grown without their products. And in a sense, they are right, as long as we accept as inevitable a dysfunctional soil food web [LSP 2018: 16]. The importance of synthetic fertilizer for global crop production and the environmental consequences of its excessive use is often presented as a…

The nitrogen dilemma: food or the environment, Stewart & Lal 2017 Nitrogen (N) is the most important essential element for crop production because it is required in large amounts and is nearly always the first nutrient that becomes limiting after an ecosystem is converted to cropland. Cereal grains provide about 50% of the world’s calories,…

Under a microscope, tiny tunnels can be seen in mineral particles from conifer forest soil. Scientists believe it is mycorrhizal fungi penetrating these particles by excreting organic acids in order to mine nutrients for their plant hosts. An estimated 150 meters of pores are bored by fungi per year per liter of E-horizon (layer that…

In this study, long-term phosphorus fertilization limited the extent to which the genes and proteins of microbial communities were allocated to degrading recalcitrant soil phytate to acquire phosphorus. In phosphorus-deficient soil, on the other hand, the genes responsible for breaking down recalcitrant substrate to acquire phosphorus were more prevalent in microbial communities. In other words,…

Scenario 300: Reducing Atmospheric CO2 to 300 ppm by 2061         by Jim Laurie, Staff Scientist Biodiversity for a Livable Climate bio4climate.org jimlaurie7@gmailcom  March 20, 2018 Danger in the Arctic: The Urgency of the Climate Situation Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased from 315 ppm in 1958 to 410 ppm in 2018. This is the…

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Program – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners This program is arranged as cycles, the way Nature does it with water, carbon, sunsets, seasons, dust to dust and phoenixes arising from the ashes.  All of our talks are connected to one another in ways both obvious and subtle.  So rather…

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Sponsors and Partners – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Partners are organizations that help us get the word out.  Sponsors additionally contribute financially to our efforts.  These are our valued sponsors and partners since 2014. Sponsors for Voices of Nature The vision of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation…

MARYLAND Philip Bogdonoff (second from right in red shirt), Director of Bio4Climate’s DC Chapter and member of our Executive Board, played a key role in its passage. UPDATE: By Philip Bogdonoff, March 30, 2021 Philip continues to be involved with several groups who are focused on Montgomery County’s Climate Action Plan, and has contributed to…

Co-Sponsored by the Greater Boston Group of the Sierra Club and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate Video links below! Saturday, March 31, 9 am – 4 pm Harvard University,* Geological Lecture Hall 24 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA Local ecosystems can help us to weather the coming climate shocks. Learn about current efforts and new possibilities…

Geotherapy: Innovative Methods of Soil Fertility Restoration, Carbon Sequestration, and Reversing CO2 Increase. Edited by Thomas J. Goreau, Ronal W. Larsen and Joanna Campe [Goreau 2015] The term “geotherapy” was coined by Richard Grantham, an evolutionary biologist and geneticist who, in his later years, turned his attention to the deteriorating state of Earth in the current…

Biodiversity refers to the outcome of 3.8 billion years of evolution since single-cellular life appeared on Earth. It is a concept embodied by an endless variety of life forms and strategies undertaken within the kingdoms of life. Biodiversity allows for a dynamic web of interactions, whereby countless organisms reliably supply one another with sufficient nutrients and…

Biodiversity Mammal diversity influences the carbon cycle through trophic interactions in the Amazon, Sobral 2017 In a mixed forest-savanna landscape of tropical Guyana researchers found that mammal diversity is positively related to carbon concentration in the soil. The authors explain that this is due to increased feeding interaction associated with greater mammal diversity, and specify…

Mammal diversity influences the carbon cycle through trophic interactions in the Amazon, Sobral 2017 In a mixed forest-savanna landscape of tropical Guyana researchers found that mammal diversity is positively related to carbon concentration in the soil. The authors explain that this is due to increased feeding interaction associated with greater mammal diversity, and specify that…

In a mixed forest-savanna landscape of tropical Guyana researchers found that mammal diversity is positively related to carbon concentration in the soil. The authors explain that this is due to increased feeding interaction associated with greater mammal diversity, and specify that animal abundance per se did not increase carbon content in the soil. “The lack…

“Biodiversity has a major role in sustaining the productivity of Earth’s ecosystems” [Duffy 2017: 263]. This is the conclusion drawn from an analysis of 133 estimates reported in 67 field studies on the effects of species richness (number of species) on biomass production, isolating biodiversity as a variable from other factors that affect productivity (nutrient…

Agricultural production must produce enough food for almost 10 billion people by 2050 [FAO 2017],[10] and yet a third of all land is degraded [FAO 2015] and nearly all agricultural land has lost significant amounts of SOC (Soil Organic Carbon). So we have a puzzle to solve: how to produce more from less, and in the face…

Natural climate solutions, Griscom 2017 This is one of the most comprehensive mainstream studies to date of a broad spectrum of natural climate solutions by thirty-two co-authors and supported by The Nature Conservancy. The report examines “20 conservation, restoration, and/or improved land management actions that increase carbon storage and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions across global…

This is one of the most comprehensive mainstream studies to date of a broad spectrum of natural climate solutions by thirty-two co-authors and supported by The Nature Conservancy. The report examines “20 conservation, restoration, and/or improved land management actions that increase carbon storage and/or avoid greenhouse gas emissions across global forests, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural…

Edited by innovator and entrepreneur Paul Hawken, Drawdown is a remarkable and comprehensive work presenting eighty well-vetted solutions and twenty promising “coming attractions” to remove carbon from the atmosphere and restore planetary health.  Hawken engaged numerous scientists, modellers, advisers, artists and writers, resulting in a beautifully illustrated and comprehensive exploration of possibilities for reversing global warming.…

Global Warming has been a message of warning since climate research and discussions began roughly two hundred years ago in western science. Today, the predominance of the future tense in the climate dialogue has set the tone and expectations that however many times the “window of opportunity” for meaningful climate action were to close, it…

It is estimated that there will be up to 1 billion climate migrants by 2050. There are multiple reasons why everyone should care about the global migration crisis, one being that human resettlement may be an opportunity for humanity to restore our positive relationship with nature. Ana Sofia Gonzalez is a Mexican environmentalist with a…

Bob O’Connor: Forest & Land Policy Director for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at the Climate Reckoning conference November 17-19, 2017 at Harvard University #greencities #greenspaces #urban

Climate Reckoning– Sponsors and Partners – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Partners are organizations that help us get the word out.  Sponsors additionally contribute financially to our efforts.  These are our valued sponsors and partners since 2014. Sponsors for Climate Reckoning The vision of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation is a world in which the…

Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Climate Reckoning – Program – Scroll down for links to videos . . .  Systems thinking takes on climate! The most powerful climate tool isn’t emissions reductions, regenerative agriculture, holistic management, biochar, soil restoration or any of a number of others.  Because global warming isn’t just about greenhouse gases,…

This Compendium of Scientific and Practical Findings Supporting Eco-Restoration to Address Global Warming (the “Compendium”) is a fully referenced compilation of the evidence outlining the power, benefits and necessity of eco-restoration to address global warming. Bringing together findings from the scientific literature, government and industry reports, and journalistic investigations, this is a public, open-access document…

We have undertaken a far more ambitious enterprise than we had initially envisioned. One reason is that, just as in a forest, whenever you turn over a leaf or a log you discover a universe. The universe of knowledge about healing a devastated earth is vast, from indigenous wisdom to systems science and everything in-between.…

There is substantial evidence that we can address the climate crisis by intensive global eco-restoration: drawing down vast amounts of carbon from the atmosphere into global soils through photosynthesis; managing water cycles to cool the biosphere; restoring biodiversity and degraded terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Support for an eco-restoration hypothesis is solid and comes from a…

Soils This compendium is, if nothing else, a testament to the key role soils must play if we are to preserve life on earth through the anthropocene. Soils, the engine of every terrestrial ecosystem, are themselves wildly diverse subterranean ecosystems providing habitat to countless trillions of micro- and macro-organisms. These organisms themselves create the soil…

This compendium is, if nothing else, a testament to the key role soils must play if we are to preserve life on earth through the anthropocene. Soils, the engine of every terrestrial ecosystem, are themselves wildly diverse subterranean ecosystems providing habitat to countless trillions of micro- and macro-organisms. These organisms themselves create the soil and…

Although often overlooked, ignored or taken for granted, earthworms are nevertheless keystone soil species, mediators and moderators for rebuilding healthy, biodiverse, high carbon and moisture rich topsoil [Darwin 1881; Blakemore 2016c]. We depend on soils for more than 99% of our food and 100% of our timber and natural fibres [Blakemore 2012, Pimentel 2013].  As…

With the rise of civilizations, humans began having significant impacts on bodies of water and the water cycle.  The early “hydraulic civilizations” appeared along major rivers (Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, Indus, Yellow River and others), changed watercourses and built canals for agriculture and transportation.  As populations and cities expanded, demand for food led to soil depletion while…

Cultivated land covers 1.6 billion hectares globally [FAO 2011]. About 62% of cropland produces food directly for human consumption, while 35% is dedicated to producing animal feed, and 3% to biofuel feedstock, seed and other industrial products [Foley 2011: 338]. Agriculture is a major source of emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous…

Grasslands have been estimated to cover approximately 40% of global land surface area, approximately 5.25 bn ha (~13 bn ac ), except for Greenland and Antarctica [Suttie 2005; White 2000:12].  Their deep soils are rich repositories of nutrients, especially carbon and water.  Many grasslands are anthropogenic, i.e., resulting from various land management techniques to maintain…

This workshop is in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the Greater Boston area. We can stop global warming with the help of the natural world, the most powerful force on Earth. And all of our fellow creatures will pitch in for free! You can join the rest of life and be an important player in restoring billions…

Jan’s Quick Take: This is a large and lavishly illustrated volume detailing the Slovakian “Landscape Revitalisation and Integrated River Basin Management Programme.”  The book is presented in Slovakian and English languages (in side-by-side panels).  This work is a unique reflection and photo-documentary, of sorts, of the insights and results from the Slovakian Program, while simultaneously…

Ing. Michal Kravčík,CSc. / Jan Lambert https://bio4climate.org/downloads/Kravcik_Global_Action_Plan.pdf Jan’s Quick-Take: This is a document intended to guide people from individuals to the national level, on addressing climate change through the restoration of short, or small water cycles, thus increasing the production potential and biodiversity of all continents through the introduction of various measures of rainwater retention.…

Let’s pull carbon out of the atmosphere and bring down the higher temperatures brought about by global warming – safely, inexpensively, low-tech, with a broad range of benefits. It was a great conference!  Video links are directly beneath the title of each presentation, below.Downloads: Conference Program,  Book List,  Take Action!, Carbon Unit Conversions Scenario 300: Making…

Voices of Water for Climate UN Water Conference March 22-24, 2023 Voices of Water for Climate works on bringing the vital power of water to cool the Earth to the center of climate action. Our central focus on the role of biology in powering the water cycle offers guiding principles for the ecological restoration and…

Based on widely accepted scientific measurements, global emissions reduction efforts, while essential, have not succeeded in reducing levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The annual rate of carbon released into the atmosphere is accelerating (for many reasons which need not be discussed here). Reducing emissions and building out alternative energy are necessary but insufficient to address…

Mari McBride and Alice Vandebrook co-created Save Tomorrow to help save the planet when they were in third grade. They lobbied their city council to pass a legislation to allow solar panels and protect the local forest. Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Connect with usFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bio4climateTwitter: https://twitter.com/bio4climateInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bio4climate/ Presented at Restoring…

Restoring Oceans, Restoring Climate– Program – Conference Home    Speakers   Program Program times are Friday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday,  9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. 6:00 – Our Oceans, Our SelvesAdam Sacks, Biodiversity for a Livable ClimateVideoThe earth is a system and humans are currently a keystone species…

Interview with Lesley Laws, of Zero Carbon Farming and Forestry Project Burga, Conference Speaker Anamarija Frankić, Conference Speaker Alfredo Quarto, The Vermont Farm to Plate food system 

Human technology is, along with the population growth made possible by technology, the foundation of the anthropocene era. Technology's ultimate end is to expand carrying capacity so that we can accommodate a growing population, and bears many unintended consequences of which global warming is one of the most serious. The technologies in question over the past few hundred thousand years include the intentional use of fire, development of hand tools, agriculture, wheels, shipbuilding, architecture, culminating in the industrial era and widespread use of fossil fuels. There is a long list of unintended technological consequences and progress traps that have effectively put an end to every large-scale complex society in human history.

Ridge Shinn: Founder and CEO of Big Picture BeefDidi Pershouse: Helps connect the dots between soil health and human health & authorJohn E. Carroll is professor of environmental conservation in the Department of Natural ResourcesPhilip Tanimoto is the Executive Director of the The Cloud Forest Conservation Initiative Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate:…

The Power and Promise of Biodiversity– Program – Home    Speakers    Program     Scroll down to program for videos and slideshows!——————————We are telling the story of biodiversity. “Biodiversity, a contraction of ‘biological diversity,’ generally refers to the variety and variability of life on Earth. One of the most widely used definitions states it in terms of the…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Foster Brown, Amazonian ecologist, gives an introduction to the interactive methods he uses to teach forest ecology in the Peruvian communities he works with. Presented at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate’s “Restoring Water Cycles to Reverse Global Warming”…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Jan Lambert introduces, by way of photos and illustrations, the richly varied ways in which rainwater is now being successfully restored into landscapes. From holistic green pastures in America to green roofs in Scotland, from using beaver dams…

Restoring Water Cycles to Reverse Global Warming – Sponsors & Partners –   Home   Program   Speakers Our partners support us and in many instances are doing similar work. We share logos and links, and we ask our partners to announce the conference on their websites, Facebook pages and in newsletters.  Our sponsors work with us as partners do,…

Partners are organizations that help us get the word out.  Sponsors additionally contribute financially to our efforts.  These are our valued sponsors and partners who have supported our work during one or more years since 2014. Sponsors The vision of the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation is a world in which the boundaries between the human and…

Restoring Water Cycles – Program – Home     Speakers     Sponsors/Partners   Scroll down to view videos and slideshows! Our program addressed science, land management practices and activism.   There was ample time for Q&A, and attendees and speakers were encouraged to attend the entire conference in order to be available for thought-provoking dialogue and creative networking. On Sunday…

Resources Be sure to check out our Compendium of Scientific and Practical Findings Supporting Eco-Restoration to Address Global Warming, a collection of evidence of widely available positive environmental outcomes possible. Back issues of  our informative and entertaining newsletters are available here. Below are videos, websites, books and papers addressing a wide variety of issues in biodiversity,…

Restoring Water Cycles toReverse Global Warming Conference Home   Program   Speakers    Sponsors/Partners Click here for videos and slideshows! Watch interviews with Michal Kravcik, Jon Griggs,Precious Phiri and Adam Sacks on Emerald Planet TV . . . . . . and one with Jim Laurie too! Even with elevated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,water can cool the biosphere and…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Featuring Jonathan Bates, Permaculturist, Co-Author of Paradise Lot. A neglected Holyoke house lot is re-born as a thriving edible forest garden with a wide variety of edible plants and trees. Jonathan Bates offers an overview of how he…

Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming– Nature Walk –  Conference Home    Program    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Pre-Conference Guided Nature WalkSaturday, May 2, 2015, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.$20, sliding scale, limited to 15 participants David Morimoto, Associate Professor of Biology, Lesley University, will be our guide as we visit the Alewife Reservation near the Alewife…

Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global WarmingProgram  Conference Home    Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming Sunday, May 3, 2015, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Morning session, 9:00 – 12:00: 9:00 Opening Remarks Quinton Zondervan, President, Green Cambridge and Michael Green, Program Director, Climate…

Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming, Washington, DC Promoting the power of nature to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere where it does untold damage, and restore it to the soils where it supports abundant life and helps reverse global warming. Source: http://bostongreenschools.org/ Saturday, September 26, 2015, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Moot Court RoomDavid A.…

Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming to Reverse Global Warming– Sponsors and Partners –  Conference Home    Program    Nature Walk    Sponsors/Partners   Speakers Our partners support us and in many instances are doing similar work. We share logos and links, and we ask our partners to announce the conference on their websites, Facebook pages and in newsletters.  Our…

BCC Main Page      Speakers       Partners and Sponsors        Poster        Flyers Reversing Global Warming: Carbon Farming for Food, Health, Prosperity and Planet! A one-day conference for farmers, gardeners, government officials, city-town councils, civic  leaders, school board members, educators at all levels, park/forest and environmental managers and stewards, nursery and landscape business owners, and…

Reversing Global Warming:Carbon Farming for Food, Health, Prosperity and Planet!Sponsors and Partners  Home      Speakers       Partners and Sponsors Our partners support us and in many instances are doing similar work. We share logos and links, and we ask our partners to announce the conference on their websites, Facebook pages and in newsletters.  Our sponsors…

Home      Speakers       Partners and Sponsors Reversing Global Warming: Carbon Farming for Food, Health, Prosperity and Planet! Program and Home page A conference for farmers, gardeners, government officials, city-town councils, civic  leaders, school board members, educators at all levels, park/forest and environmental managers and stewards, nursery and landscape business owners, and all other folks…

Conferences To view the videos from each past conference, please visit the main page or the program page of each conference . . . and check out our Introductory Playlist. Nature’s Solutions as National Policy In 2021, we kicked off a series of mini-conferences on nature’s solutions as national policy. Starting in June, we began fostering…

Ethan Roland is an international expert on regenerative agriculture and permaculture design. He will introduce us to how carbon farming enhances productivity, increases profitability and combats climate change. Drawing from the best practices from holistic management, keyline design, agroforestry, living soils, biochar, permaculture design and restoration agriculture, carbon farming offers a whole toolkit for agricultural…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Soil remineralization is playing a crucial and vital role in improving soil fertility. Remineralize the Earth is a nonprofit that promotes the regeneration of soils and forests with finely ground gravel dust, an economically and ecologically sustainable alternative…

Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming– Program – Home       Speakers      Sponsors and Partners  You can watch the videos individually or by the day by clicking on that day’s playlist. Some slideshows are also available Videos made possible by a generous donation from the Virgin Earth Challenge. Playlists:    Friday     Saturday    …

Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming – Conference Home – The conference is over, it was a stunning success – and our work has just begun. Stay tuned! November 21-23, 2014 Promoting the power of nature to remove excess carbon from the atmosphere where it does untold damage, and restore it to the soils where…

Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming– Sponsors and Partners – Program  |  Speakers  |  Sponsors and Partners Our partners support us and in many instances are doing similar work. We share logos and links, and we ask our partners to announce the conference on their websites, Facebook pages and in newsletters.  Our sponsors work with us…

Solar panels on rooftops. Hybrid and electric vehicles. Meatless Mondays. What do all of these indicators of societal progress have in common? They are just some examples among the many widely attainable, lifestyle modifiers for reducing energy consumption in our fossil fuel-addicted world. But while replacing SUVs with hybrid cars and changing lifestyle habits to…

“Everything is connected to everything else.” – Barry Commoner, The Closing Circle Like most climate activists, for a long time I thought that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were THE driving force behind climate change.  It followed that reducing emissions was our overriding goal.   A steady stream of messages from both the climate movement and the mainstream…

Solutions – What You Can Do In your Home or Business: Restoring ecosystems stores carbon and reverses climate change. There are a number of approaches applicable to different ecosystems, and all of these methods can show remarkable results. Each of us has only limited time and resources to play our part, but we can also…

At Biodiversity for a Livable Climate, removing carbon from the atmosphere by regenerating ecosystems and restoring biodiversity is our non-profit mission. Supporting farmers, herders and ranchers around the world to work in ways that both sequester carbon in soils and provide major benefits in productivity is a key means to that end. Unfortunately, the resources…

Our Mission Introduction Through education, policy and outreach, we promote the great potential of inexpensive, low-tech and powerful Nature solutions to the biodiversity and climate crises, and work to inspire urgent action and widespread implementation of many regenerative practices. Discussion Collaborating with organizations around the globe, we advocate for the restoration of soil, and of…