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,…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Mycorrhizal fungi connect billions of lives in the soil, bring communications and biochemical transformations to those that need it, and keep green plants healthy and abundant. More abundant than we may have seen for centuries. What’s the big…

Mycorrhizal fungi are critical conduits moving photosynthetic energy to underground microbial communities. In return these microbes find minerals and water for their plant benefactors. In addtion, nematodes are essential nitrogen pumps in the soil, while dung beetles and earthworms can lock up tons of soil carbon, year after year. Jim Laurie illustrates and explains. Presented…

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…

There are a number of agricultural practices that will enhance fungi colonisation. Wherever possible, of course, the full range of critical soil health processes that govern productivity should be allowed to regenerate agricultural ecologies naturally. It may, however, be necessary or more practical to inoculate seed with fungi spores in order to recover degraded soils.…

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…

Given that nitrogen and phosphorus are the most limiting nutrients for crop growth, that global phosphorus supplies are becoming exhausted while the human population rapidly expands, and that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) symbioses improve crop phosphorus acquisition, AMF symbioses have a major role to play in current and future crop production. The potential of AMF…

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…

Fossil evidence shows that early land plants hosted fungal symbionts, which are likely to have facilitated phosphorus acquisition by plants and thus increased net primary production, perpetuating the transition to a cooler, oxygen-rich environment suitable for animal life. Mills’ study tests this hypothesis by integrating plant-fungal phosphorus acquisition into a biogeochemical model of the Paleozoic…

The paper argues for the use of bacterial and fungal inoculants in combination with organic amendments and cover crops to regenerate degraded soils. In order to produce enough food for a growing global population on ubiquitously degraded soils, synthetic fertilizers will be in increasingly high demand. However, these fertilizers require copious amounts of non-renewable energy…

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…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Trees share a wealth of information to the willing listener, well beyond aesthetics, recreation or “natural resource.” They offer details about the connections above and below ground – from birds and insects, to parasites and fungi, to humans…

Most of what you hear climate activists talk about when it comes to beef or cows is methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas and cows emit methane as part of their digestion process. What you don't hear is that this is primarily a problem of the commercial cattle industry and that nature has an ingenious way of balancing this methane production. Learn about this natural system and how cattle can be managed as part of eco-restoration and climate mitigation.

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

Introduction by Jim Laurie Erling Jorgensen was a student in my “Systems Thinking and Scenario Building” course (Biodiversity 6) in the summer of 2022.  He is determined to learn how life processes work and develop a scenario of restoring these processes.  His goal is also to create a story that young people and adults with…

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…

The articles below offer a sampling of the myriad ecosystem roles played by species we may not think much about. For example, fungi, an exemplar ecosystem cooperator, buries carbon in the soil, sources otherwise unavailable nutrients like phosphorus for plant growth, and facilitates bacterial evolution. Great whales transport nutrients through the ocean for other species…

In this second issue of the Compendium of Scientific and Practical Findings Supporting Eco-Restoration to Address Global Warming by Biodiversity for a Livable Climate (“Bio4Climate”), we focus on the pivotal roles of biodiversity and regenerative agriculture in stabilizing ecosystems and the climate. We review a selection of a large and growing trove of research demonstrating…

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…

What Mediterranean tree is uniquely equipped to withstand wildfires with armor-like bark and high, out of reach, branches?

Two major groups of mycorrhizal fungi are arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) and ectomycorrrhiza (EM). Both form a symbiosis with plants by colonizing their roots and creating an interface where carbon from the plant can be exchanged for phosphorus, nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil and transferred to the plant by the fungi. The extraradical[15] mycorrhizal mycelium (ERMM), which…

Our analysis shows that inputs of phosphorus through arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses substantially increase the ability of plants to grow and maintain nutritional quality, cascading through the biomass of consumers and predators in the ecosystem. Although they account for less than 1% of the total modelled biomass, the predicted nutritional benefit provided by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi…

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…

By Florence Ann Barrett “Ecological processes are not only more complex than we think. They are more complex than we can ever think.” – Michael Crowfoot, Soil Scientist “On one of my early projects…a scientist friend asked me, how did I know what I was doing, and where did I get the knowledge to understand…

“Ecological processes are not only more complex than we think. They are more complex than we can ever think.” – Michael Crowfoot, Soil Scientist “On one of my early projects…a scientist friend asked me, how did I know what I was doing, and where did I get the knowledge to understand the system with which…

Resources Biodiversity for a Livable Climate and the EcoRestoration Alliance bring forth a dual-document appeal and action blueprint that unveils a groundbreaking perspective and tangible actions for ecosystem restoration as a viable solution to stabilize our climate. A United Call to Cool the Planet! Dive into scientific insights, explore a hopeful pathway, and join a…

Landscape Heroes: Carbon, Water and Biodiversity See program below, with links to videos! A collaboration with the Ecological Landscape Alliance, NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association), NOFA Organic Land Care, and Biodiversity for a Livable Climate  UMass Amherst, Tuesday, January 31st: An in-depth, inspiring conversation on Carbon Sequestration and learn what practical steps you can take…

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…

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,…

Testing paired sites in four ecosystem types, this study finds that higher fungal activity in soil is associated with higher soil carbon content, and that disturbing the soil reduces fungal activity. The paper’s introduction explains why fungi have been found to store more carbon than do bacteria – for example, fungi can store up to…

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…

The symbiosis between mycorrhizal fungi and plants drive carbon and nitrogen cycles. Fungi demand carbon exudate from plants in exchange for nitrogen and other nutrients retrieved and transported from the soil. The “liquid carbon” exuded from plant roots feeds mycorrhizal fungi and many other soil microbes, while also becoming stabilized in soil aggregates and humus.…

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…

(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 this book. It is not simple to define “symbiosis,” which…

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…

Which creature is a combination of two other organisms, comes in bright colors, and helps us measure air quality? Lichen!

Which fungi creature gets its name from a bird, helps heal internal wounds, and benefits people worldwide?

What creature steals photosynthesis, can go a year without eating, and blurs the animal-plant boundary?  The Eastern Emerald Elysia!

What is the second most consumed insect group in the world (by humans) that can build nests with heights up to 9 meters (29.5 feet) and has a symbiotic relationship with fungi?

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    …

Jim Laurie is a restoration biologist and co-founder of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. He was manager of the Vermont “Living Machine” which was designed by ecological visionary John Todd. This biodiverse system treated 80,000 gallons of sewage per day. For 20 years he was a biologist and technical trainer in the chemical industry in Houston, Texas, where his…

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…

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…

This meta-analysis finds that biodiversity across groups, especially between bacteria and fungi, contributes more to soil aggregation than species from just one group acting alone. For example, fungi specialize in binding macroaggregates, while bacteria can also bind microaggregates, and earthworms can “grind and remould ingested particles into new aggregates” [Lehmann 2017: 1]. There were no…

“The world is divided politically, but ecologically it is tightly interwoven.” – Carl Sagan, 1980, Cosmos The magnitude of troubles ailing humanity is dizzying, if not terrifying – any 10 minutes of exposure to the daily news can attest to this. It’s hard to untangle the problems from each other, or to connect causes to…

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…

Ecological intensification: local innovation to address global challenges, Tittonell et al. 2016 World agriculture cumulatively produces enough to feed the whole human population and more, yet hundreds of millions of people on the planet are hungry due to problems of access to food. Noting that agricultural productivity is unevenly distributed around the globe, this book…

This review examines the concept of ecological intensification as a way to increase global food production by enhancing the ecological functionality of farmland. We present ecological intensification as an alternative approach for mainstream agriculture to meet [future climatic, economic and social] challenges. Ecological intensification aims to match or augment yield levels while minimizing negative impacts…

Jim Laurie is a restoration biologist and co-founder of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. He was manager of the Vermont “Living Machine” which was designed by ecological visionary John Todd. This biodiverse system treated 80,000 gallons of sewage per day. For 20 years he was a biologist and technical trainer in the chemical industry in Houston, Texas, where his…

Jim Laurie is a restoration biologist and co-founder of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. He has been learning how to restore lands and waters for 30 years and was the manager of the Vermont “Living Machine” which treated 80,000 gallons of sewage per day and was designed by ecological visionary John Todd. For 20 years he…

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…

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…

With leaves shaped like a spade, what plant is known to invade and refuses to fade? 

What creature used to live on the ground but now hangs in trees, has hair that grows in the opposite direction than most mammals, and turns green because of the algae that thrives in their fur?

I’m smaller than dust, yet ancient and wise, I thrive in the harshest of lows and highest of highs. No mate, no death, no fear of the cold, I borrow new genes when my own get too old.

Blessed Unrest– Speakers – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Speakers – November 17-18, 2018 Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners

Climate Reckoning– Speakers – Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners

To pull carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it in soils, we need to restore biodiversity: that’s the foundation of the whole show. One of the most important visible elements from the perspective of ecosystems is to cover bare ground. Bare ground doesn’t absorb water, it breaks the water cycle, it interferes with the…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

Walter Jehne: New Climate SolutionsWater Cycles and the Soil Carbon Sponge Video here.Thursday, April 26, 20184:00 PM to 6:00 PM Haller Lecture Hall (Harvard)24 Oxford Street · Cambridge, MA  Organized by Paula C. Phipps A talk by Australian climate scientist and soil microbiologistWalter Jehne, Director of Healthy Soils Australia An internationally-recognized Australian climate scientist and…

Listening to the Voices of Nature– Conference Home – November 17-18, 2018 Conference Home    Speakers    Program    Sponsors and Partners “The event was splendid. I learned more in two days than I’ve learned in the last 20 years, and I was thrilled to be included.”  Elizabeth Marshall Thomas “I loved the eclectic nature of the overall…

One-Time Donation Please fill out the form below to join the many microbes, fungi, plants, and animals working hard to regenerate the Earth. Many thanks!

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…

A variety of intimate, symbiotic relationships exist between the roots of plants and the microorganisms in the soil. For instance, mycorrhizal fungi colonize the surface of plant roots, effectively extending them further through the soil to collect nutrients otherwise out of reach. These mycorrhizal branching structures, known as hyphae, emanating from plant roots also improve…

Our review of estimates of P recycling in the human P cycle show considerable variability and uncertainty, but today it appears that only about one-quarter of the fertilizer P used in agriculture is recycled back to fields. The rest is lost to the cycle, and much of this loss ends up in waterways, causing expensive…

Consider the fate of the approximately 17.5 million tonnes of phosphorus mined in 2005, analysed in the paper by Cordell et al. About 14 million tonnes of this were used in fertilizer (much of the rest went into cattle-feed supplements, food preservatives, and the production of detergents and industrial cleaning agents) but only about 3…

In this study, nitrogen fertilization altered the relative abundance of fungal taxa in the rhizosphere, increasing fungal genera with known pathogenic traits, and decreasing a fungal phyla (Basidiomycetes) known to break down lignin, thus important for carbon cycling in the soil. Fungi play important roles as decomposers, plant symbionts and pathogens in soils. The structure…

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…

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…

This study examines how subordinate species[8] influence community insurance against drought in semi-natural grasslands of the Swiss Jura. The insurance hypothesis proposes that an increase in community diversity corresponds to an increase in the range of potential species responses to environmental stress. The authors tested the role of subordinate species in community resistance to drought, recovery and…

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://news.mongabay.com/2020/05/in-south-korea-centuries-of-farming-point-to-the-future-for-sustainable-agriculture/?utm_source=Mongabay+Newsletter&utm_campaign=624a4d7680-Newsletter_2020_04_30_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_940652e1f4-624a4d7680-77145713 In South Korea, knowledge of ancient farming techniques adapted to various harsh conditions, along with a sense of urgency about the need to adapt to even harsher conditions as the global climate system deteriorates, is bringing about the blossoming of an environmentally friendly agriculture movement. Farmers draw on traditional knowledge of “nitrogen-fixing plants, soil…

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

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 brainless creature can learn, problem solve, and even hold down a job?  The slime mold!

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…

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 Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is partnering with the Post Carbon Institute and…

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…

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…

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…

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…

To a climate conversation long dominated by computer models and technological jargon, Regenerating Life: How to Cool the Planet, Feed the World and Live Happily Ever After brings some badly needed rain, along with dung beetles, sweating trees, fungal mycelia, cloud-making forests, beavers, worms, soil microbes, cow patties and whales. As more and more people…

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 Fifth Event: OREGON • on Zoom Saturday, November 18, 2023 1:00 – 4:30 pm Pacific Time  •  on Zoom Biodiversity for a Livable Climate is partnering with the Post Carbon Institute and…

I’ve loved Chicago from the first day I set foot there, and I’ve missed the Windy City since I left after college in 2018. When I had a chance to visit two weeks ago, I made it a point to try to understand Chicago’s ecosystems better, and check in on the many ways communities across…

What statuesque organism is a champion of beauty, hardiness, and capacity to nurture life around it? The Northern Red Oak!

Native Plant Community Gardens We are members of Native Plant Community Gardens, a volunteer environmental group with an exciting initiative to plant the first pollinator garden in Danehy Park in Cambridge, MA this June! This is a joint project with Biodiversity for a Livable Climate and the City of Cambridge. We have tremendous support from…

A transformation is underway in Worcester, MA. In this mid-sized city in Central Massachusetts long known for its industrial activity, city leadership has undertaken ambitious initiatives to address some of their climate resilience goals using the Miyawaki method. Together, Bio4Climate, BSC Group, and the City of Worcester planned and created two Miyawaki Forests in the…

What acrobatic raptor was so essential to medieval public health, killing it was a crime and it became the national bird of Wales?

Biodiversity 12: Earth Alive – Exploring Our Home A 12-week course with Jim Laurie February 26 – May 14, 2025 “Earth Alive – Exploring Our Home” will be the twelfth biodiversity course taught by our Restoration Biologist & Futurist Jim Laurie. Earth is a living miracle in our corner of the Universe, full of symbiotic…

What insect spends years hidden underground, preparing for a brief but spectacular emergence into the sunlight, filling the air with the deafening, iconic song of summer?