The global movement to restore nature's biodiversity | Thomas Crowther
Summary
TLDRThe speaker discusses the importance of biodiversity and forests in combating climate change. They reveal their research on global forest data, showing the potential of planting over a trillion new trees to capture excess carbon. The script highlights the media's role in promoting tree planting but warns against oversimplification. It stresses the need for nuanced restoration efforts that consider local ecology and community needs, introducing 'Restor', a platform to guide and support global restoration projects.
Takeaways
- 🌳 The sounds of a native forest are linked to our evolutionary past, where biodiversity was crucial for survival.
- 🌿 Biodiversity is essential for life on Earth, and ecosystems like forests play a key role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere.
- 🔍 The speaker's career focused on the connection between insects and fungi in soil, aiming to understand how these networks could mitigate climate change.
- 🌍 Forests can help combat global warming by capturing carbon and storing it in the soil for centuries.
- 🌱 Protecting existing forests and planting new trees could significantly reduce annual carbon emissions.
- 🌐 A global network of experts contributed data revealing that there is room for over one trillion new trees on Earth.
- 🌲 The potential of forests to capture excess carbon is enormous, equivalent to decades of human emissions.
- 📈 The research sparked global interest, leading to initiatives like the Trillion Trees Campaign and pledges from governments and companies.
- 🚫 The speaker warns against oversimplification, emphasizing that tree planting is not a single solution to climate change but part of a broader portfolio of solutions.
- 🌱 The importance of ecological diversity is highlighted by contrasting a native forest with a monoculture plantation, which lacks biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- 🌐 The platform 'Restor' is introduced as a tool to facilitate global restoration efforts by providing ecological insights and a space for sharing project data and learnings.
Q & A
What is the significance of the sounds of a native forest in Southern Europe?
-The sounds of a native forest in Southern Europe are significant because they indicate the presence of biodiversity, which is essential for life on Earth. The speaker suggests that we evolved in ecosystems where these sounds signified the availability of food, medicine, and other resources necessary for survival.
What is the speaker's area of focus in their career?
-The speaker has focused on the connection between insects and fungi in the soil, aiming to understand the scale of these networks and how they might help address the challenge of climate change.
How do forests help in reducing atmospheric carbon?
-Forests help reduce atmospheric carbon by capturing carbon from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. Trees use this carbon for growth, and some of it enters the soil, where it can be stored for hundreds or thousands of years.
What is the potential impact of stopping global forest loss?
-Stopping global forest loss could directly help reduce annual emissions by preserving the carbon already stored in trees and soil. It could also potentially tip the balance towards carbon sequestration, aiding in the repair process of the climate.
How many trees are estimated to exist on Earth according to the speaker's research?
-According to the speaker's research, there are just over three trillion trees on Earth, which is almost half of what existed before human civilization.
What is the potential for new tree growth outside of urban and agricultural areas?
-The speaker suggests that there is room for just over one trillion new trees on 0.9 billion hectares of land outside of urban and agricultural areas where trees would naturally exist.
What is the estimated potential of these new trees to capture excess carbon in the atmosphere?
-The speaker estimates that if these areas could be protected in the long term, the soils and vegetation might capture up to 30 percent of the excess carbon in the atmosphere, equivalent to decades of human emissions.
What was the reaction to the speaker's research when it was published in the journal Science?
-The publication of the speaker's research in Science led to a media explosion, with global discussions about the potential of trees in combating climate change. It also led to the launch of various tree planting campaigns by organizations like the World Economic Forum, WWF, and United Nations.
What mistakes did the speaker make in communication that threatened the message of their research?
-The speaker made the mistake of oversimplifying the message about tree restoration, which led to the perception that it was a single solution to climate change. This忽视ed the need for a comprehensive approach to reducing emissions and protecting existing ecosystems.
What is the difference between a eucalyptus plantation and a native forest in terms of biodiversity?
-A eucalyptus plantation, as described in the script, lacks the sounds of birds and insects, indicating a lack of biodiversity. In contrast, a native forest is rich in biodiversity, with various species of trees, birds, and insects, which contribute to a healthy ecosystem.
What is the main goal of the Restor platform mentioned in the script?
-The Restor platform aims to provide an open data platform for the restoration movement, offering free ecological insights to guide tree planting, soil amendment, and other restoration efforts. It also facilitates the sharing of ecological information to help restoration organizations learn from each other and for funders to track projects.
How does the speaker view the role of global restoration in addressing climate change and other global threats?
-The speaker sees global restoration as a crucial part of a portfolio of solutions to climate change, not a silver bullet. They also emphasize that protecting and rebuilding biodiversity is essential for addressing other global threats such as extreme weather events, droughts, food shortages, and pandemics, even if climate change were to stop immediately.
Outlines
🌳 The Power of Forests in Climate Change Mitigation
The speaker discusses the importance of biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly focusing on the relationship between insects and fungi in the soil. They emphasize the role of forests in capturing carbon from the atmosphere, which can help combat climate change. The speaker's research indicates that there is room for an additional one trillion trees on Earth, which could absorb up to 30% of excess atmospheric carbon. This research has sparked global interest and initiatives like the Trillion Trees Campaign, highlighting the potential of forest restoration in the fight against climate change.
🚫 The Pitfalls of Monoculture Forests
The speaker warns against the simplification of the message that tree planting alone can solve climate change. They highlight the dangers of monoculture plantations, which lack biodiversity and the ecosystem services that natural forests provide. The speaker acknowledges the criticism their research received and emphasizes the need for accurate ecological information to guide restoration efforts. They introduce 'Restor', a digital platform designed to provide ecological insights and support the sharing of knowledge among restoration projects worldwide.
🌐 The Global Movement for Ecosystem Restoration
The speaker concludes by emphasizing that restoration is not just about planting trees but about the broader ecosystem. They define 'restore' as returning nature to its original state and owners, highlighting the importance of local biodiversity and community involvement. The speaker calls for a collective human effort, involving farmers, scientists, governments, NGOs, and individuals, to address the challenge of global restoration. They stress that while technology can inform, the solution lies in the interconnected actions of people worldwide.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biodiversity
💡Ecosystems
💡Carbon Capture
💡Climate Change
💡Machine Learning Models
💡Reforestation
💡Monoculture
💡Ecosystem Restoration
💡UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
💡Restor
💡Human Interdependence
Highlights
The calming sound of a native forest in Southern Europe indicates the presence of resources essential for survival.
Biodiversity is crucial for life on Earth, with each species depending on others.
Insects and fungi in the soil are a key connection in ecosystems.
Forests can play a significant role in combating climate change by capturing carbon.
Trees absorb carbon and store it in the soil for potentially thousands of years.
Globally, stopping deforestation could significantly reduce annual carbon emissions.
There is room for over one trillion new trees to be planted.
New trees could capture up to 30 percent of excess atmospheric carbon.
The research was published in Science, sparking global interest in trees' potential.
The World Economic Forum launched the Trillion Trees Campaign.
Governments and companies pledged to restore Earth's forests.
Restoration is not a single solution but part of a portfolio of solutions needed for climate change.
Monoculture plantations are not true restoration and can damage ecosystems.
The UN suggests nearly half of reforested areas are monocultures.
Restoration done wrong can lead to criticism and loss of opportunities.
Restor is an open data platform for the restoration movement, providing ecological insights.
Restor aims to help with the protection of land, soil amendment, and promotion of ecosystem health.
Restoration is for local biodiversity and the communities that depend on it.
Global restoration requires collective human action and cannot rely solely on tech solutions.
Transcripts
Transcriber: TED Translators Admin Reviewer: Rhonda Jacobs
(Birds chirping)
What you're hearing
is the sound of a native forest in Southern Europe.
The calm, tranquil feeling we all get is not a coincidence.
We all evolved in ecosystems like this,
where the sounds of birds and insects
indicated the possibility of food, medicines
and all the resources we need for survival.
Ecosystems and their biodiversity still hold the key to life on this planet.
I'm obsessed with this biodiversity,
the magic of the infinite network,
where every species depends on others to survive.
For most of my career,
I focused on just one of those fascinating connections
between insects and fungi in the soil.
I longed to understand the scale of these networks
and to understand how they might help us
with one of the greatest challenges facing humanity:
our rapidly warming planet.
The problem is clear.
We know we need to reduce our emissions
and draw the existing carbon out of the atmosphere,
stop the damage and start the repair.
And this is where forests can help.
Like all plants, trees capture carbon from the atmosphere,
and they use it for growth.
And some of that carbon enters the soil,
where it can stay for hundreds or even thousands of years.
If we could stop the losses of forests around the world,
we could directly help to cut our annual emissions.
And if we could start to tip the balance in the other direction,
we might even help the repair process.
But if people were really going to invest their valuable time and energy
in a solution like this,
we needed to comprehend the size of this opportunity
and understand the impacts that we can have as individuals.
But comprehending something of this scale
was a completely new challenge for me and my colleagues.
For this, we needed the knowledge of experts all over the world.
So we began building a new network.
The more people we contacted, the more data we received,
and the more clearly patterns began to emerge.
With data from over 1.2 million forests,
we were able to build new machine learning models
to predict forest structure around the world.
For the first time,
we could see that our earth is home to just over three trillion trees,
almost half of what existed before human civilization.
We could see where the different species are distributed
and how carbon is stored in this massive system.
But this approach could also show us something more transformative.
Using the same models, we could begin to see where trees might naturally grow
under the existing climate.
And this suggested
that outside of urban and agricultural areas,
there's 0.9 billion hectares where trees would naturally exist.
And this is room for just over one trillion new trees.
We estimated that if we could protect these areas in the long term,
then the soils and vegetation
might capture up to 30 percent of the excess carbon in the atmosphere,
capturing decades of human emissions.
We now have a wealth of ongoing research to refine these initial estimates.
But the scale of this potential
suggests that along with all the other benefits these ecosystems provide,
they might also represent a valuable role in our fight against climate change.
When our research was accepted to be published in the journal Science,
nothing could have prepared us for the media explosion that followed.
Suddenly, it seemed like the whole world was talking about the potential of trees.
Under the umbrella of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration,
the World Economic Forum launched their Trillion Trees Campaign
to go alongside similar efforts from the WWF and United Nations.
Suddenly, governments and companies all around the world
were pledging their commitment to the restoration of earth's forests.
And with the job creation that would result,
the idea of a global restoration movement was becoming a reality.
But in the excitement of it all,
and with the chance to make that positive impact I'd always dreamed of,
I made some naive and stupid mistakes in communication
that threatened the entire message.
The simplicity of our message was its strength,
but it came at the expense of nuance that is so important.
And as the headlines began to emerge,
I desperately just wanted to pull them back in.
Because to some, it seemed like we were proposing restoration
as the single solution to climate change.
And this is the opposite of what this movement needs.
When viewed through this lens,
restoration just seems like an easy way out,
a chance for us to "offset our emissions" by planting a few trees
and ignore the very real and urgent challenges of cutting emissions
and protecting the ecosystems that we currently have.
Restoration is not a silver bullet.
There is no silver bullet.
It is just one of a huge portfolio of solutions
that we so desperately need.
And this view of trees as an easy way out is such a tempting perspective,
but it is a real threat to the climate change movement
and to the ecosystems that still remain.
(Faint sounds)
This is also the sound of trees.
It's a eucalyptus plantation
that exists just a couple of miles away from where we began.
Notice how there were no sounds of birds or insects.
The songs of biodiversity are gone.
That's because what you're hearing is not an ecosystem.
It's a monoculture of one single tree species
planted for rapid tree growth.
Along with the biodiversity that used to live here,
this local community has now lost the benefits those ecosystems provided,
like clean water, soil fertility,
and most urgently,
protection from the intense fires that now threaten the region every summer.
The UN suggests that almost half of reforested areas around the world
are monocultures just like this,
planted for rapid timber production or carbon capture.
Just like a farm, these plantations may be valuable for timber,
but they are not the restoration of nature.
And monocultures are just one of the many ways
we can damage ecosystems
when we offset our emissions without considering the local ecology
or the people that depend on it.
Following these mistakes, a second wave of articles flooded in,
warning of the risks of restoration done wrong.
And this criticism was so painful
because it was entirely correct.
But most of all,
I was terrified that we would squander this incredible opportunity,
because restoration has such enormous potential for positive impact.
But just like every good idea, it only works if we get it right.
But as the dust settled,
we realized that this was actually a time
when the entire movement gained real momentum.
More people than ever were interested in global restoration,
and with messages flooding in
about the successes and failures of restoration projects around the world,
we had access to the lessons that can help us to get it right.
Every new criticism offered incredible opportunities to learn and grow.
Every failed restoration example
was a lesson on how to improve future projects.
These learnings were an entirely new source of data --
data from the real heroes of this movement,
from the people on the ground
who were conserving and managing ecosystems around the world.
No one knows their ecosystems more,
and no one is more aware of the risks of restoration done wrong
and the need for accurate ecological information
to show the best areas to focus on,
which species can exist in those regions,
and what benefits those species can provide to the community.
Historically, these are questions that have been addressed
through years of rigorous trial and error.
But we started wondering:
What if we fed this deep on-the-ground knowledge
back into our machine-learning models
to learn from the thousands of successes and failures?
Could this help us to identify
which strategies are working and failing around the world?
And about a year ago, we started working with Google
to help build and scale this idea into a functioning online ecosystem,
where projects from around the world can learn and grow together.
By pairing Google's technology and our models,
this ever-growing network of scientists, restoration projects, and NGOs
could now build the platform that could serve the restoration movement.
And I am so excited to give you a first glimpse
of what we've been working on.
This is Restor, an open data platform for the restoration movement,
providing free ecological insights
to show which species of trees, grasses, or shrubs might exist in that region,
monitoring of projects
so that we can all see the developments happening on the ground.
And most importantly,
for the sharing of ecological information
so that restoration organizations can learn one another
and so that funders can find and track projects to support.
Restor is a digital ecosystem for restoration.
The more data the community uploads, the stronger the predictions get
and the more informed action we can all take.
Putting the learnings of thousands of projects
into the hands of people everywhere.
And this ecosystem is much bigger than just planting trees.
Trees are just the symbol for entire ecosystem restoration.
Restor is for the protection of land so trees can recover,
for the amendment of soil so vegetation can return,
and for the thousands of other approaches used
to promote the health of grasslands, peatlands,
and all other ecosystems that are equally important for life on earth.
Whether you want to support a wetland conservation project
with huge carbon potential
or simply find which species of plant might exist in your garden
and how much soil carbon they could accumulate,
with this tool,
we hope that everyone everywhere
will have a chance to engage in the restoration movement.
The word "restore" is defined
as the act of returning something back to its original state,
but it's also the act of returning it back to its original owners.
The restoration of nature is for the local biodiversity
and the communities that depend on it.
And as that network grows, the collective action benefits everyone.
And these benefits go far beyond the threat of climate change.
Even if climate change stopped right now,
the protection and rebuilding of earth's biodiversity
would still be a top priority because it underpins all life on earth.
It can help us with all other global threats,
including extreme weather events, droughts,
food shortages and global pandemics.
But global restoration won't be easy,
and it will not be solved by tech solutions alone.
These tools can inform us,
but ultimately the challenge is one that can only be addressed by us,
by all of us.
Just like the interdependent species that make up natural ecosystems,
we humans are deeply dependent on one another.
We need the immense network of limitless connections,
the farmers and project leaders on the ground
who need local markets and industries to make use of sustainable products.
The scientists, governments, NGOs, businesses, you, me,
we are all needed to keep this movement going.
We need the whole ecology of humanity.
Thank you.
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