Pleistocene Park: Born to rewild

Summary

Sergey Zimov and his team are tackling the alarming melting of Arctic permafrost, which releases vast amounts of carbon and accelerates global warming. Zimov’s radical solution involves recreating the ancient mammoth steppe ecosystem by reintroducing herbivores to graze on the land, preventing permafrost from thawing. The animals, including yaks and horses, help maintain cooler temperatures by disrupting the insulating snow cover. The Zimovs aim to expand these efforts globally, hoping to transform the Arctic and alter the relationship between humans and nature in the fight against climate change.

Takeaways

• 😀 Permafrost in the Arctic holds more than a trillion tons of carbon, which is released as greenhouse gases when it thaws.
• 😀 Scientists warn that the melting of permafrost could significantly accelerate global warming.
• 😀 Sergey Zimov has been studying permafrost for decades and proposes a radical solution to mitigate its melting.
• 😀 Zimov's idea is to recreate the Arctic ecosystem of 30,000 years ago by bringing back large herbivores to the region.
• 😀 The goal is to transform the tundra and forest areas into grasslands, similar to the mammoth steppe ecosystem.
• 😀 Zimov and his team started experimenting with herbivores like horses to recreate the ecosystem, which includes grazing, fertilizing, and clearing trees and shrubs.
• 😀 The animals’ grazing and disruption of snow expose the soil, cooling the permafrost by up to 2°C.
• 😀 Animals like Yakutian horses, muskoxen, and moose now graze in the region, playing a crucial role in maintaining the permafrost.
• 😀 The Zimov team hopes to establish more such protected areas, or 'seeing parks,' around the world to safeguard permafrost.
• 😀 Zimov’s vision challenges the current human-animal relationship, proposing a new way for animals to help protect the environment.

Q & A

What is the main environmental issue discussed in the transcript?

The main environmental issue discussed is the thawing of permafrost, which releases large amounts of carbon and accelerates global warming.

How does permafrost contribute to global warming?

Permafrost contains over a trillion tons of carbon, and as it thaws, this carbon is released into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming.

What radical solution does Sergey Zimov propose to mitigate the melting of permafrost?

Sergey Zimov proposes recreating the Arctic ecosystem of 30,000 years ago by reintroducing herbivores to transform the landscape into grasslands, which could slow the thawing of permafrost.

What were the conditions in the region before the project began, according to Zimov?

Before the project, the area was dominated by mossy tundra and forests, but Zimov's goal is to transform it into grasslands like the mammoth steppe that existed in the past.

How did Sergey Zimov and his team start the experiment to reintroduce herbivores?

Zimov and his team started the experiment during Soviet times by introducing horses into a fenced area where they could graze, which helped stimulate grasses and control tree and shrub growth.

Why are horses used in Zimov's experiment to protect permafrost?

Horses are used because they can excavate snow, disrupting the insulating layer, and expose soil to the cold Arctic air, helping to keep the permafrost colder and slowing its thawing.

How do animals help in maintaining the permafrost temperature?

The animals, such as horses and other herbivores, help maintain the permafrost temperature by disturbing the snow layer, which exposes the soil and allows the cold Arctic air to reach the ground, keeping the permafrost colder than it would be otherwise.

What kinds of animals are involved in the experiment, and where do they come from?

The experiment involves animals such as Yakutian horses from Siberia, musk oxen from Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean, and moose. Local hunters provide moose for the experiment.

What is the larger goal of Zimov's experiment with reintroducing herbivores?

The larger goal is to create more 'seen parks' around the world to protect permafrost by using animal grazing to keep it intact, potentially scaling the experiment to large areas globally.

What philosophical shift is Zimov hoping to achieve through his project?

Zimov hopes to shift the relationship between humans and wild animals, advocating for a more harmonious interaction where animals are actively involved in ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation.