“You must have had a lot more rain because how else can water appear where it has not existed before?” asked Zimbabwe Minister of Water Development Sam Nkomo when he saw a clear water-lily-covered pool that had only come to exist in the upper river catchment two years prior [Savory 2009]. Two herders and their…

An old-school Italian festival celebrating the work of grazing animals and their faithful herders has taken root in Petaluma, CA. “Transhumance” is the act of moving grazing animals from one grassy site to another. The festival bearing this name takes place in the city or town centers through which the animals traverse en route to…

Ridge Shinn founded Big Picture Beef, an organization that demonstrates the benefits of grass-fed beef for people and the planet. 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…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Precious Phiri of Zimbabwe discusses the managed grazing of ruminants from the perspective of how it opens soils for water – and raises water tables and brings back surface water for crops, domestic animals and wildlife, along with…

Richard Teague addresses how land managers can base decisions for sustainable land use on the principles of ecosystem function. He will describe his studies of adaptive rangeland management, land restoration and carbon storage. Presented at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate “Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming” conference at Tufts University on November 21-23, 2014 Learn…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Dorn Cox is a founding member and board president of Farm Hack, an open source community for resilient agriculture. He is also the executive director of GreenStart and manages his family’s 250-acre organic farm in Lee, NH where…

Happy New Year! Over the holiday season, I had the luxury of sharing many meals with family and friends, including latkes and apple sauce; Tofurkey and yams; and locally caught shrimp and farm-raised oysters.  In discussing my work, I was asked several times, “But how can you not eat meat and be so passionate about Holistic…

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…

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…

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…

In January, Ridge Shinn and Lynne Pledger joined us to discuss their new book, Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World. While the last few tumultuous years have heightened uncertainties about our food supplies, there’s some good news coming out of the regenerative agriculture movement. Regenerative practices restore degraded land, increase soil productivity, sequester carbon and…

On Thursday, January 26 at 6pm ET, Ridge Shinn and Lynne Pledger will join us to discuss their new book, Grass-Fed Beef for a Post-Pandemic World. While the last few tumultuous years have heightened uncertainties about our food supplies, there’s some good news coming out of the regenerative agriculture movement. Regenerative practices restore degraded land,…

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…

Which creature is the largest terrestrial predator on the planet, has the most adorable cubs, and makes its own fresh water? Polar Bears!  Wintry Beauties Polar bears, also known as Ursus maritimus, or “sea bears,” live in the Arctic Circle and on nearby land masses and sea ice in the U.S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. These mammals are…

Grass-fed beef producers in the U.S. have begun a movement to restore soils and stabilize the climate with a fundamentally different approach called regenerative grazing. This method builds on nature’s own system of pulling carbon from the air and storing it in the soil. Sixty million buffalo lived on the Great Plains at one time.…

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,…

Which creature promotes healthy soil, is often seen as a pest, and has cheeks perfect for storing leftovers? Pocket gophers! On my weekend hikes, I stay alert for any tiny movement. Rustling noises often lead me to discover an interesting creature, but only if I pay close attention. One animal I would often hear, but rarely…

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,…

Billions of animals, including insects, mammals, fish, and birds, migrate through the planet every year, which uniquely influences the environment and the ecological communities along migration routes. “The frequency of migrations and the immense number of individuals involved often mean that migrant inputs constitute “resource pulses,” defined as occasional, intense, brief episodes of increased resource…

The ocean sequesters about 22% of global anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Marine vertebrates contribute to the ocean’s carbon sink capacity in various ways, such as by fertilizing coastal vegetated habitats, and (through the work of marine predators) protecting this vegetation from overgrazing. Additionally, fish sequester carbon in the deep sea when they sink to the bottom after…

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…

What creature can live for over two decades, was revered by Baltic-Finnish pagan tribes, and is Finland’s national bird?  The Whooper Swan!  There are many creatures on Earth that are very much entwined with human culture, and this week’s Featured Creature is an excellent representation of this. The Whooper Swan has been a part of…

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…

This article emphasizes the importance of species interactions as drivers of ecosystem function. The classic conservation approach is to set aside national parks or to target specific species for protection, based on their rarity or endangered status. However, these approaches can have trade-offs for non-target species, while also potentially failing to protect ecosystem function. The…

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…

Precious Phiri is the Founding Director of EarthWisdom Consulting Company.  She was formerly a Senior Facilitator at the Africa Center for Holistic Management (ACHM) in Zimbabwe where she directed training for villages in the Hwange Communal Lands region that are implementing restorative grazing programs using Holistic Land and Livestock Management.  She helps rural communities in Africa to reduce poverty, rebuild soils, and…

Greg Glenn, Farm Manager, Rockland Farms (Poolesville, MD).  During his time at Virginia Tech, Greg developed a passion for farming and local food systems.  He studied small business agriculture and regional food systems, was actively involved in the local food system in Blacksburg, VA, and spent time in Kenya and South Africa where he became…

Precious Phiri is a Senior Facilitator at the Africa Center for Holistic Management (ACHM) in Zimbabwe.  Precious directs training for villages in the Hwange Communal Lands region that are implementing restorative grazing programs using Holistic Land and Livestock Management. This helps rural communities in Africa to reduce poverty, rebuild soils, and restore food and water security. This nature-based…

Holistic Management and Planned Grazing. Grasslands and grazing animals co-evolved over 50 million years. Good management of grasslands and grazing animals the way nature does it – constantly moving in tight herds rather than confined by fences – restores biodiversity, healthy water cycles, cools the biosphere and provides food and fiber to millions of people. Holistic…

Kris Nichols, Chief Scientist, Rodale Institute, examines the impacts of management such as crop rotation, tillage practices, organic production, cover crops, and livestock grazing on soil aggregation, water relationships, and glomalin at the Institute. She received a Bachelor of Science in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota, a…

Glenn Gall has been involved over the last decade with numerous natural solutions to restore a livable planet and reverse global warming.  This began with permaculture training from Peter Bane, Darren Doherty, Dave Jacke, and Mark Shepard, and developed into small scale farming and keyline design in Northern Ohio and Michigan.  He also teaches innovative agricultural…

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…

Precious Phiri is the Founding Director of EarthWisdom Consulting Company.  She was formerly a Senior Facilitator at the Africa Center for Holistic Management (ACHM) in Zimbabwe where she directed training for villages in the Hwange Communal Lands region that are implementing restorative grazing programs using Holistic Land and Livestock Management.  She helps rural communities in Africa to reduce poverty, rebuild soils,…

Ridge Shinn is the founder and CEO of Big Picture Beef and a leader in the shift away from feedlot beef to raising cattle on 100% grass and forages – no corn ever – using regenerative pasture and grazing management that sequesters carbon deep underground. Currently he is developing a large-scale supply of 100% grass-fed…

Ridge Shinn, cattle farmer and founder of Big Picture Beef, joined our Life Saves the Planet lecture series on GBH Forum Network. He discussed how grazing can help build healthy soil, sequester carbon, and lead to agricultural systems that improve environmental health and farmers’ livelihoods over time. Read more and view the recording here!

Biology Created the Earth Around 3.8 billion years ago living cells appeared on Earth. Basic elements and molecules such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, minerals, water and many others, thanks to energy from the Sun, began assembling themselves into more and more complex structures. Unlike most planets in the universe, Earth became a planet that was…

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.…

Nader et al. survey herbicides, prescribed fire, mechanized treatments, hand cutting, and grazing animals as fire management techniques. Managing vegetation involves “changing the plant community to decrease the flame height when fire occurs,” favoring native species that may be more resilient to fire, and altering the landscape to create fuel breaks, which are patches across which…

A project in Queensland, Australia has met with success in its efforts to rehydrate the landscape on the farmland property of Worona Station, improving biodiversity, water retention, and resistance to erosion and fire. Worona Station had been degraded and faced serious erosion issues, so Chris Le Feuvre, the owner, partnered with consultancy groups of NQ…

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…

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 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…

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…

A growing body of literature emphasizes the need for novel, process-oriented approaches to restoring ecosystems in our rapidly changing world. Dynamic and process-oriented approaches focus on the adaptive capacity of ecosystems and the restoration of ecosystem processes promoting biodiversity, rather than aiming to maintain or restore particular ecosystem states characterized by predefined species compositions or…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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 places. Like everyone, indigenous people have multiple interests (economic, political, cultural), which don’t necessarily always support…

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…

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 chapter proposes food security through ecological intensification in areas with low productivity…

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…

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…

More than 224,000 ha of drylands in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia that had previously succumbed to devastating cycles of drought and flood have been restored. As a result, the hillsides are green again, previously dry wells are recharged, and fruit trees now grow in the valleys. To remedy the problem of severe land…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

“Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae, Aphodiinae, Geotrupidae) are some of the most important invertebrate contributors to dung decomposition in both temperate and tropical agricultural grasslands. As such, they may help mitigate GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissions and aid carbon sequestration through removing dung deposited on the pastures, increasing grass growth and fertilization” [Slade 2015: 1]. This Finland…

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…

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…

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…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Restorative land management includes regenerative grazing and agricultural practices that build healthy soils and support a diversity of life above and below ground. It applies to a range of settings, from urban to rural, and from small to…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Restorative land management includes regenerative grazing and agricultural practices that build healthy soils and support a diversity of life above and below ground. It applies to a range of settings, from urban to rural, and from small to…

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…

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…

Regenerative Seas: Implementing Regenerative Design to Restore Marine and Land-based Ecosystems, Living Shorelines for Enhanced Erosion Control, Adding Grazing Cattle to Improve Soil Health

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…

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.

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…

Water Cycles Conference Recap, Community Grazing for Community Abundance, Jobs, Justice and Climate: A rally to defend New England’s future

Climate Solutions Information Sheets Single-page double-sided information sheets on various topics in regenerative management to end global warming. Created by the Washington, DC Chapter of Biodiversity for a Livable Climate.  Feel free to download files, print and circulate. Beavers – Nature’s remarkable water engineers! Soil Carbon Cowboys – How Holistic Planned Grazing can restore millions of…

Carol Evans, Nevada Bureau of Land Management fisheries biologist whose work has been featured in the film The Beaver Whisperers, highlighting her deep involvement in monitoring the impact that planned grazing and returning beaver have had on restoring watersheds. Jon Griggs, ranch manager for Maggie Creek Ranch, a beef-cattle operation running on both public and…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Glenn Gall takes us through the groundbreaking work done by many permaculture practitioners, and the central part which water plays in permaculture design. Discussion includes methods such as keyline, subsoiling and grazing, where water has become the focus…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Moderated by Adam Sacks, our three panelists speak of success in mobilizing people to work for water restoration in widely varied settings. Maude Barlow speaks on how water supply and water rights are at the heart of many…

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…

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.…

5:00 p.m. Potluck, Presentation and Discussion in Cambridge: “Soil Carbon Cowboys: Grazing for Biodiversity.“ View event details.

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…

Precious Phiri directs engagement and training for villages in the Hwange Communal Lands region that are implementing restorative grazing programs using Holistic Land and Livestock Management. This cost-effective, nature-based and highly scalable solution helps rural communities in Africa to reduce poverty, rebuild soils, restore food and water security, and reduce drought and flood risks. Precious…

Learn more about Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: https://bio4climate.org/ Please donate to our ecosystem restoration work: https://bio4climate.org/donate/ Widespread restoration of grasslands depends on economics. Historically beef production has been focused in the Corn Belt and western states. Now Ridge Shinn, a practitioner with experience in all aspects of holistic grazing and marketing, is building the…

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…

Biodiversity for a Livable Climate: Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming First Conference and International Action Week November 2014 Conference: Friday-Sunday, November 21-23, 2014 Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA (near Boston) Co-sponsored by The Institute of the Environment (TIE) and The Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) at the Fletcher School of Tufts University International…

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…

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…

6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Hope for a Livable Climate: The Promise of Restorative Grazing & Other Ecological Innovations to Regenerate Soil, Secure Food & Water, Revive Rural Economies and Reverse Global Warming View event details.

Advisory Board Brent Blackwelder Brent Blackwelder is the emeritus president of Friends of the Earth. He was a founder and first chairman of the board of American Rivers, our nation’s leading river conservation organization. He was also one of the founders of the Environmental Policy Institute, which merged with Friends of the Earth in 1989.…

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…