Behind the scenes, there is a passionate team working tirelessly to make Earthed the thriving hub it is. We are a small but mighty team, from environmental experts to experienced entrepreneurs, sharing a common goal: to empower individuals to become stewards of the Earth.

Our Achievements 

Since our inception, Earthed has achieved some incredible milestones, thanks to the network of partners, ambassadors, advocates and the enthusiasm of our members. Since launching in May 2023 we’ve seen the positive ripple effects of collective efforts.

In our first year we:

• Built the Earthed platform
• Filmed over 40 courses and released 20 on the online platform 
• Successfully raised over £100,000 in our crowdfunding campaign
• Launched our in-person Earthed summit that sold out with over 550 attendees. 
• Onboarded 2000 members in our first 8 months 
• Built an incredible network of partners, ambassadors and advocates that continues to grow 
• Partnered with our dream Founding Partners: Neal’s Yard Remedies and Vivobarefoot
• Became implementing partners to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration

We are so excited about what the future holds for us, especially when it comes to empowering the people on the ground to restore and help nature thrive.

In this blog you can get to know who we are and the ways we are passionate about nature and restoration.

Christabel

Role: Co-founder & CEO 

Love of nature: Cornish coast line – the cliffs + ocean!; moss – seeing them as tiny universes; swimming underwater and looking up to see shards of light streaming through the surface

Restoration commitment: Guerilla gardening in London and helping my mum grow a wild, pollinator paradise in her garden

Hobbies: Dancing, travelling, chatting, resting

Earthed Bio: Through years of campaigning and working to ignite the radical imagination I came to understand that, contrary to popular belief, enough people understand that we currently face an ecological and social health crisis. We can all imagine a happier, healthier world – but few of us have the skills to actually build the systems that make the old systems obsolete. And so I set out with my sister and a small collective of women to create a platform that could make accessible the skills, networks and funds people need to make their visions of radical, regenerated futures, a reality. Today, I co-run Earthed with my sister, alongside our other organisation advaya which is focused on regenerating our inner worlds and healing our relationships with self, other, nature and spirit. 

Charlotte

Role: Head of Partnerships 

Love of nature: Seeing the first signs of a new season and finding comfort in this circularity; from daffodils in March signalling the first days of sunlight, to conkers on the forest floor in September and October giving me that “back to school” feeling, recognising these moments of nature that come each year make me feel deeply grounded.

Restoration commitment: Rewilding the small urban garden in my London rental and trying to bring some life back into the soil

Hobbies: Long dog walks, long conversations, short runs

Earthed Bio: I have always had a love of storytelling, but most significantly I am interested in the power of narratives to shape our world. After studying English and a master’s in Environmental Politics I did various roles in communications, research, and campaigning before joining Christabel and Ruby at Initiative Earth in 2020. After many communications campaigns and much storytelling around climate change and nature disconnect, it became clear that words alone are not enough. Developing Earthed and focusing on leveraging tools, resources and learning in order to enable practical action has been so refreshing. Through partnerships I love discovering all the amazing work organisations and individuals are doing all over the world and finding ways to collaborate for the creation of a greener, fairer future.

Wanessa

Role: Head of Production 

Love of nature: The profound certainty of being an integral part of nature, where every living entity, including myself, is intricately interconnected and mutually reliant within the awe-inspiring complexity of our planet.

Restoration commitment: Enabling nature education and awareness, while also supporting the development of projects geared towards restoring ecosystems on different scales around the world.

Hobbies: Learning, painting, writing and walking in nature.

Earthed Bio: My background is a rich mix of expertise in audiovisual production, social entrepreneurship, and marketing, acquired across a vibrant international landscape.  My professional journey has been intricately woven with a deep-rooted commitment to fostering positive change addressing social and environmental issues over the span of two decades. At Earthed, I oversee educational programmes development and course production, guiding our courses from inception to delivery. To date, I’ve led the development of over 40 courses, 20 of which have been released to the public as of the time of this publication.

Kiran

Role: Head of Marketing and Community 

Love of nature: That feeling of comfort and connectedness when laying by a lake, under a tree on a balmy summer’s afternoon. Feeling the ground, heading insects buzzing by, feeling the sun on your face. Bliss! 

Restoration commitment: To make more concrete pavements pop with vibrancy, colour and life through guerilla gardening in the city.

Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, exercise. 

Earthed Bio: As Head of Marketing & Community, I see storytelling and partner collaboration as a conduit to create positive change. Nature is my sanctuary, where I believe everyone can find solace and inspiration. I am grateful to have had an upbringing rooted in spirituality and mental wellness and want to pay this forward by making nature more accessible, fostering unexpected moments of joy and liberation for all.

Alana

Role: Member Manager 

Love of nature: Being beside the ocean at dusk or sitting high up on Dartmoor overlooking valleys and feeling totally in awe. I also love being in or beside water or in wide open spaces. The reciprocal relationships with many beings that help me remember my deep belonging and kinship with the earth.

Restoration commitment: Growing food, herbs and pollinator friendly flowers in my own back garden through regenerative practices. Regenerating 4 acres of land with my local community into a thriving biodiverse haven.

Hobbies: Dancing, playing music, kayaking, snorkelling, hiking and camping. 

Earthed Bio: I spent several years immersing myself in work and communities who are building alternative regenerative cultures to the extractive harmful and oppressive systems of the western world. My work is highly creative and deeply influenced by the principles of peer-led and experiential based learning, emergent strategy and community building through nature based cultural healing. I’m passionate about supporting people to reconnect with the natural world as we rewild ourselves and helping people to get their hands in the soil is a big part of that. I’m part of a small land-based hub in Devon called The Living Projects and love to apply the experience of restoring 4 acres of land into a thriving biodiverse haven for nature and people, to my work with Earthed.

Shanley

Role: Digital content designer & manager 

Love of nature: I am forever in awe of the intricate symbiotic relationships within nature, where everything is interconnected and each species plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of its ecosystem. (Also the ocean and the Redwoods will always have my heart)

Restoration Commitment: I believe in our ability to be stewards of healing our ecosystems 

Hobbies: Making nature-based art, singing, hiking, organising bespoke concerts in the woods, swimming, and really doing anything outdoors with people I love. 

Earthed Bio: As a Digital Content Designer & Manager with 10 years of experience in strategic design, environmental restoration, and creative storytelling, I am dedicated to creating change for our planet and its people. Throughout my career, I have committed myself to collaborating with environmental initiatives, bringing their stories to life and making a meaningful impact. Most recently I have spent the last 5 years working on forest and river rewilding in northern California – reaching 2 million trees planted in regions impacted by wildfire. Now at Earthed, I am honoured to be a part of a team helping people learn how they too can get involved with healing our ecosystems. 

Oscar

Role: Outreach and Engagement Officer 

Love of nature: Wild swimming, all things outdoor in Cornwall and spending time in nature through the seasons. 

Restoration commitment: Making the garden in my houseshare a pollinator paradise. 

Hobbies: Running, Triathlons and all things sport 

Earthed Bio: I have dedicated my career to bringing about positive social change through collaboration and partnerships, working for a variety of charities in fundraising roles. I am passionate about mental health, I volunteer as a Samaritans Listening Volunteer and am a qualified mental health first aider. I strongly believe that access to nature is an essential part of mental wellbeing for everyone.

Ciaran

Role: Head of Development 

Love of nature: Nature has been a source of encouragement, healing, and inspiration throughout my life. I feel most alive when deeply connected to the natural world, whether through creating food forests in my garden and community or engaging with plants and the landscape around me. 

Restoration commitment: Creating food forests in my new garden and local community

Hobbies: Permaculture gardening, walks in nature, live music, spiritual exploration and finding flow whilst moving through tennis, swimming, and yoga.

Earthed Bio: I’m passionate about developing and supporting nature-based solutions that restore ecosystems and wellbeing. I’m an experienced fundraiser and social innovator who previously founded the ecotherapy charity MindFood and developed the scaling plan for Friends of the Earth’s Postcode Gardener programme that is bringing nature back to urban places. My role at Earthed is focused on forging collaborative partnerships with funders to scale ecosystem restoration globally. I love being part of our mission to galvanise a peer-driven, mass-mobilised ecosystem restoration movement by giving anyone, anywhere, access to the skills, networks and funds they need to restore nature and learn to grow.

Amy 

Role: Finance Manager

Love of nature: Watching the garden unfurl from winter and hearing the birds return to sing once again, noticing the flowers of spring arrive along with the wonderful bugs that make it all possible.

Restoration commitment: Grow more food and plant more wildflower patches to encourage even more bees and butterflies into my garden.

Hobbies: Discovering new places with my dogs, hanging out with family and friends, being outside.

Earthed Bio: I was very lucky to spend so much of my childhood in the garden, my grandparents always grew food and as children we were encouraged to help sow the seeds and nurture them and later share the produce.  I think we have lost some of that enthusiasm with the emergence of supermarkets and global importation of food.  I’d like to see a return to a simpler way of living where we grow and share, nurturing the next generation of children to discover the wonders of nature.

The post Meet the Earthed Team appeared first on Earthed.

We are marking our one year anniversary by stepping up our mission to remove barriers to education and access to nature, making it even easier for people globally to participate in ecosystem restoration. 

“Over the last year, we have seen our message reach over 4 million people globally, with 55,000 visitors to our charity site and close to 3,000 members taking online classes, led by some of the most inspiring nature leaders globally”, shares Christabel Reed, Earthed co-founder. “It’s clear to us that people want to learn how they can actively participate in restoring nature or growing food, and having a global open-access platform makes that easier than ever. We have always welcomed members who were not able to make donations, but we live in a time-economy, and we can now give people access to the content they want, for free, exactly when they want it.”

“We hope that this makes it as clear as possible – we need everyone, everywhere to participate in a mass-mobilised ecosystem restoration movement. It doesn’t matter whether you build biodiversity in a windowsill box or a farm, we all have the power to bring nature back into our lives. Stop waiting to sow that seed, attend that local clean-up, restore your local river. Time is against us, but with the right skills and community support, we can restore nature and make every balcony, river, city and forest burst with life.”

Please join us in celebrating one year of Earthed by spreading the word that we can all be nature guardians! Together, we are making our radical imaginations of a world where nature and communities thrive, a reality.

The post Nature is Free and So Are We: Environmental Education for All appeared first on Earthed.

In this blog we explore three avenues as part that you can take to help nature thrive. Whether in your back garden, allotment or across acres of land. 

Syntropic Farming

Sidney Etienne is a regenerative farmer & community activist from Haiti. He specialises in syntropic farming, and teaches us that, “It’s very important to remember that you too are a part of the system. We are not trying to control what nature does. We are learning from nature and we are trying to mimic exactly what it is teaching us.” 

‘Syntropic’ derives from the term ‘Syntropy’, meaning a cooperative relationship between species in which they thrive, eventually resulting in an abundance of resources. Syntropic farming encourages natural succession. It aims to harness cooperative relationships by growing crops as part of a regenerative food production system that mimics nature. It is celebrated as a self-sustaining food production system.

As a result, syntropic farming has the potential to increase wildlife, improve soil health, and contribute to climate change mitigation. All which enable ecosystem restoration. The building blocks of a syntropic system include establishing ground cover, natural succession, and planting strategies that maximise photosynthesis. Syntropic farming is a system that can be replicated anywhere with native plants. This is a principle that can be duplicated in any location, land size, and with any soil type.  The basis of the method requires rows to be planted north to south, maximising sun exposure, with three beds in each section: a tree row, a crop row, and a biomass plant row. 

Indigenous Wisdom 

“What nature is really teaching us in a hua parakore system is about abundance, is about the abundance of nature and the self regenerating capacity and capability of nature to want to keep producing and want to keep giving.” – Dr Jessica Hutchings

On each continent and corner of the world, there are populations of indigenous people who have lived in relationship with the earth through values of kinship and reciprocity. Many of their spiritual belief systems reflect eco-cultural knowledge that can be thousands of years old.

A pathway for effective nature restoration is to learn and listen to those who carry the wisdom of traditional ecological knowledge, rooted in worldviews that heal our relationship to the earth.

A brilliant example of this is Hua Parakore food growing in Aotearoa New Zealand where Maori indigenous wisdom has created a standard of organic certification for growing produce. The approach of Hua Parakore food growing weaves together biodynamics, polycropping and composting to empower seed and soil sovereignty through Māori indigenous values. 

Building Biodiverse Gardens

“Creating healthy soil is critical to creating healthy plants, and in turn, healthy humans. So whether it’s mulching, using a no dig system, or planting in a way that causes minimal soil disturbance, creating a healthy soil food web is essential to creating a healthy garden.” – Mitch McCulloch

The UK has lost almost half of its biodiversity since the 1970s. Gardens play a key role in mitigating further loss. There is potential literally on the doorsteps of many households, as biodiverse gardens can help protect nature and support the wildlife we have left. 

There are a plethora of ways you can boost biodiversity in your back garden including

• Habitat creation that supports existing native species
  • Consider bug hotels and ponds
  • Introduce native wildflower species and let your grass grow wild
• Boost the soil food web
  • Composting, mulching and no-dig gardening can be a fantastic asset to soil health
• Food growing through pesticide-free, natural and regenerative approaches
  • Look into companion planting, permaculture, and utilising heirloom vegetable varieties that are at risk of disappearing. 

Learn The Skills

Find out more about each of these ecosystem restoration pathways by taking courses on each topic via Earthed. Discover  Syntropic Farming with Sidney Etienne, Maori Food and Soil Sovereignty with Dr Jessica Hutchings and Building Biodiverse Gardens with Mitch McCulloch 

The post Ecosystem Restoration: Three Pathways to Bring Nature Back appeared first on Earthed.

Different ecosystems require different approaches depending on the level of ‘degradation’. Degradation means the depletion of resources such as quality of air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems; habitat destruction; the extinction of wildlife; and pollution. 

Depending on the level of degradation in the ecosystem you are working with it may not be enough to simply address the different forms of deterioration. It’s important to consider whats happening upstream that is causing the degradation in the fist place such as pollution, erosion and drought.

However, we have compiled a 3 key practices that are beneficial to most land based ecosystems. These restorative practices will combat degradation in your back garden and help you consider some of those impacts happening upstream.

Erosion & groundwater filtration

The water cycle keeps our ecosystems alive and healthy. Yet through urbanisation and industrial agriculture, we’ve broken our water cycle. Concreting over massive areas of soil needed for filtering water. Tilling topsoil and leaving it uncovered. Creating roads and buildings and then directing water out of those areas through drainage systems. All of this has contributed to increased erosion and decreased groundwater filtration.

Erosion happens when water moves quickly across the landscape, taking soil with it into rivers and lakes. The nutrients carried by the water can then also disrupt the balance within those aquatic ecosystems.

When water slows down and finds areas to gather on the land then it can filter through layers of soil and rock – thus replenishing the groundwater and reducing the amount of erosion happening with an ecosystem. 

Some ways to decrease erosion and slow water down include:

• Creating areas where water can gather and filter slowly such as ponds or water bunds. 
• Increase vegetation by planting cover crops to help hold the soil together and retain water, moisture and nutrients. 
• Use mulch such as wood chip or straw – this also helps to retain soil moisture.

Native Species

Native species are those that are indigenous to a given region or ecosystem through natural evolution. 

Species that are indigenous to an area have often evolved to have complex and mutually beneficial relationships with other species and organisms.

Some species are called specialists, meaning they have very specific food and habitat needed to survive or complete their life cycles. Many specialist species have evolved to have interdependent relationships with native species. 

For example, in the UK the Cinnabar Moth specialises on a wild native plant called Ragwort. However, Ragwort is poisonous and has a terrible reputation for horse owners so many choose to get rid of this plant from their local fields. This then has huge implications for the Cinnabar Moth which rely on the ragwort for their life cycle. 

So when native plant species begin to decline or disappear from an ecosystem altogether, this poses a high threat of extinction for those species which depend on them. 

Ways to support native species in your garden:

• Choose native species to plant wherever possible for your garden 
• Scatter native wildflower mixes on your lawn to support pollinators all year round 
• Plant native trees or shrubs in your garden to increase the range of native species beyond wildflowers. 

Invasive Species Management

Many ecosystems have evolved to have somewhat of a delicate balance.

When an invasive species is introduced to an area, often accidentally, it can thrive more so than its original ecosystem because there are fewer limiting conditions.

For instance, in the original ecosystem that the invasive species originates from, it will have interactions with other species that stop the plant or animal from taking over. Yet outside of that ecosystem those limiting factors might be absent – therefore resulting in the invasive species spreading uncontrollably. 

Invasive species can cause all sorts of problems. One of the reasons they are such a concern in ecosystem restoration is they often take over habitats that native species need. 

Ways to limit invasive species in your garden:

• Aim for native species wherever possible in your garden so as not to accidentally introduce invasive species. 
• Educate yourself about invasive species through local, regional and country-specific organisations who are managing invasive species.
• Remove any invasive species from your garden as soon as possible and make sure that the way you treat and dispose of invasive plant species does not endanger human health or the environment.

The post 3 Key Practices to Restore Ecosystems In Your Garden appeared first on Earthed.

We know that learning is at the heart because when we understand how important it is to protect biodiversity and ecosystems. We see how our well being and survival depends on nature’s life-support systems. 

Yet it can be hard to have a beginners mindset or know how to make the best of a learning experience. 

This is why we have gathered our top learning tips to share with you as a place to start exploring how you can maximise your Earthed journey.

Set Learning Goals

Define what you want to achieve through Earthed. Whether it’s mastering a specific skill, deepening your knowledge, or implementing sustainable practices, setting clear learning goals will guide your experience.

Buddy up

Building relationships is a huge aspect of translating learning into action. If you haven’t already, invite a friend to join the platform, buddy up and check in regularly to update each other on your progress and learning. 

Ask the Community 

Our community is a treasure trove of knowledge and support. Engage with fellow members, share your insights, and ask questions through our forum. Connect, learn, and grow together!

Join our community events

We offer a range of community events, both online and in person that help you to dive deeper into the content shared through the courses. These will include events with teachers, community pollinators, the Earthed team and also space to connect with other members. Also keep your eyes peeled for our 2024 in person and online Earthed summit! 

Support each other 

Be an active participant in discussions and activities. Your unique perspective and experiences contribute to the richness of our community. Share your challenges, successes, and discoveries to inspire others.

Follow us on Social:

Stay updated on Earthed.co news, upcoming courses, events and nature skills tips by following us on social media. Make sure you’re also subscribed to our newsletter to receive monthly updates. Join the conversation, share your journey, and connect with like-minded individuals passionate about positive change.

Share Your Feedback 

Your feedback is invaluable to us. Together we can grow Earthed to serve hands on nature restoration. Help us by taking a moment to share your thoughts through this survey. Let us know how we can keep enhancing your experience and better support your learning goals. 

Earthed is a thriving community network committed to empowering everyone to learn the nature skills to restore our environment. Your active participation makes a difference, so dive in, explore, and enjoy the journey!

We hope these learning tips support you as you dive into our nature-skills courses. If you have any questions or need assistance along the way, feel free to reach out. We’re here to support you in every step of your Earthed adventure.

The post Our Top Learning Tips for the Best Earthed Experience.  appeared first on Earthed.

As much as we love planting trees, restoring our planet requires much more. Now, more than ever, is the time to embrace the concept of whole systems… ecosystems to be precise. Let’s take a deep dive into how the ground-up techniques that ecosystem restoration communities are using, alongside planting trees, to create long-lasting success in their restoration initiatives. The good news is that these are things that you can do too.

ERC Elk Run Farm, Colorado USA

What is an ecosystem, and why is it important?

An ecosystem in general contains all life that is interconnected with one another. A simple way to break this down, is through these elements…

• The soil, with its micro-organisms, root systems, mycelium and fungi, insects, decaying debris, etc.Then you have your

• Ground dwellers. Both flora, fauna and non-living elements like mosses, grasses, snakes, rabbits, bushes, water sources and rocks.

• Larger elements, like trees in all shapes and sizes.

• Last but not least, the animals, birds and insects that rely on them and other large non-living objects.

All of these factors play a role in an areas microclimate which creates specific habitats for specific wildlife (and us). So why is this important?

The healthier an ecosystem is, the more ecosystem services it provides. Ecosystem health makes a big difference in our everyday lives as well as to the survival of other animals and plants. Some of these ecosystem services include plants cleaning air and filtering water, as well as root systems from plants and trees holding soil in place, preventing wind and rain erosion. It;s also important to consider the pollinators that must be attracted to something, in order to do their jobs to give us food. There must be flowering plants present for that to happen.  These are just a few examples, but there are endless reasons why we need thriving ecosystems.

Thinking holistically and making connections

Planting trees is not a bad thing – it’s one important step in creating a holistic, thriving environment that mimics nature. When restoring a degraded plot of land, we must have a sense of what was there before, and what’s there now. It’s important to ponder wider elements of the ecosystem, such as how water flows, or whether there’s any ground cover already established. These questions help us to understand what is appropriate to grow and what will replenish the soil and allow us to be more successful in attracting animal biodiversity, long-term plant and tree survival.

These points are not only important for forests. A vast number of communities (animals, plants and humans of course) live in drylands and grasslands. By focusing on building back health and resilience after mechanical or extreme weather events from the ground up, we are better defending our communities from floods, drought, and wildfires, and actively restoring our precious water sources. What’s more, these impact effectiveness of carbon capture and sequestration.

Let’s turn the planet green.

The next time you get the opportunity to do some tree planting, do earth a favour and consider these 3 things first…

1. Is this soil healthy? Is it stable enough to support this tree on its own? Does the soil need some tender loving care? 

There could be soil compaction and permeability issues going on, or maybe significant wind/water erosion. You may notice cracked or flaking soil (not good!) Or you may notice a lack of topsoil (also not good!), which is generally darker/richer in color than the soil underneath. That’s all the yummy stuff that nature leaves behind from decaying plants, animals and microorganisms.

*A note about soil health. Don’t let this part intimidate you. The simple act of observation is the key. Once you have the inclination that something is wrong, there is so much knowledge and information out there to easily remedy this. (You could try Ecosystem Restoration Camps or Earthed course for example.)

2. Did anything disturb this land before that might have contaminated it like mining, chemical spills, pesticide/herbicide use, land fill waste, or oil and gas extraction?

All these things can be remedied, albeit each having their own timeline and level of difficulty, but that does not mean you cannot plant. You just need to make the right decisions about what, where and when to plant. This is to help give your trees/plants the best survival rates as possible and to ensure a thriving ecosystem.

3. Maybe this tree would be happier with a few buddies next to it?

Could the soil benefit from more diversity, such as nitrogen fixing plants? Or maybe you have determined that the soil is compacted and non-permeable so the soil could benefit from adding a couple of plants with long tap roots, that can penetrate and break up the compaction. One good way to gauge this is by looking around the immediate parameter to see if there are other similar trees thriving in the area. 

Photo credit: Joel Caldwell. ERC Via Organica, Mexico 

This may seem like a lot of prep-work to do before you start any tree planting but the very small investment in time spent doing a little research about the land you are on will pay you, and the planet, back in the future. Your tree will have the best chance at surviving long-term and the surrounding soil and ecosystem will be happier for it.

So, when you are tree planting, why not pop in a native plant or two, a nitrogen fixer and some lovely flowers that will attract pollinators? It’s like a concert. One instrument may sound beautiful but a whole orchestra brings the music alive! And think of what will happen now if you’ve created a mini habitat – life is restored.

Ecosystem Restoration Communities (ERC) is a global movement that is helping nature heal itself by planting, restoring soil and water systems, and increasing biodiversity on degraded land.

ERC believes that involving communities is key to lasting, systemic change. That’s why, at more than 60 locations across six continents, ERC is empowering local teams to ensure that restoration initiatives receive the expert care needed to survive and thrive.

The communities are restoring 9 million m² of land with more than 3.1 billion m² planned for in the future. While over 3.2 million plants and trees have been planted, ERC understands that ecosystem restoration goes beyond just planting trees or capturing carbon, so they measure progress in Future Square Meters (FM2). The earth is restored, nature and local livelihoods return, and climate change is reversed, one meter at a time.

Learn more about who we are and how you can be an earth restorer too at www.erc.earth

Author: Melissa Croteau for Ecosystem Restoration Communities

The post Three things you need to know about planting trees appeared first on Earthed.

An ecosystem is defined as ‘a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.’ They comprise of minerals, soil, water, sunlight and other ‘non-living’ constituents as well as those biotic ones such as mammals, insects, birds, bacteria etc. 

We’re deeply entangled with them. The functioning of Ecosystems is essential for our survival and we depend on them for clean water, air and food. Plus many other needs such as shelter, clothing and well-being. They also help to regulate the temperature of the environment. Their biodiversity and healthy function are necessary to support the intricate web of life on this planet. 

Why we need Ecosystem Restoration

The ecosystems that make up this planet have been significantly impacted. Modern lifestyles and cultures destroy natural habitats through pollution, chemicals, deforestation and desertification. One of the most significant impacts is land system changes. Over the past 60+ years, many pristine forest ecosystems with high levels of biodiversity have been converted into agricultural land or other types of land needed to keep up with globalisation. 

Those ecosystems that remain also experience significant impacts such as adverse weather conditions brought on by climate change. All this to say our ecosystems are diminishing and the biodiversity that we depend on is disappearing. 

The bad news is that we may never be able to recreate these complex ecosystems as they once existed. The good news is that we each can restore degraded ecosystems. Nature can thrive if we protect and increase the biodiversity left. This is why Earthed was created, to support people to learn nature skills and restore degraded ecosystems. Whether in your garden or a national park you can participate in the UN decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

10 essential pieces of information about ecosystem restoration to get you started:

10 principles of Ecosystem Restoration

Developed by the UN as part of the decade of Ecosystem Restoration. These are the foundations to grow your restoration work. They exist to enable any Ecosystem Restoration work to be of the highest benefit to people and the planet. Go download the UN’s info pack on the 10 principles here. 

Ecological Survey

So you’ve recently acquired some land, your community is restoring an old field, or you are part of a large-scale restoration project. Whatever the context, the first step is to go out and spend time with the land in its current state. This would include carrying out an ecological survey to give you more information about the biology of the ecosystem. This will help you assess the health of the current ecosystem and tell you whether reducing impacts, rehabilitation or using active or passive restoration techniques are going to be most effective.

Reference Ecosystem

Once you have studied and surveyed the ecosystem you’re working with, the next step is to find a reference ecosystem. This is a nearby intact healthy ecosystem that has not been degraded through human impacts. It will display similar characteristics of the area you are restoring such as having similar species of plants and trees. A reference ecosystem will contain a high level of biodiversity. This will be a model and goal to steward the ecosystem you are restoring.

Planning

It’s important that before you start any restoration work, you spend a significant amount of time planning, researching and gathering everything that you need to proceed. This can mean further surveys, working with skilled practitioners or applying for funding to finance the project. But also setting realistic and achievable goals is important to measure your success.

Community Engagement 

A key step of planning is getting significant buy-in and engagement from your local community. One of the number one reasons restoration efforts are not successful is due to the lack of support from the local community. Engagement can take the form of education. Telling people what you are doing and why. Hosting bio-blitz days where community members participate in surveying the land or volunteering days where people can get involved in the hands-on restoration process. 

Reducing impacts 

It is ineffective to jump straight to planting trees if existing impacts that contribute to the degradation of an ecosystem are not addressed. These impacts might include soil erosion through tillage, pesticide and fertiliser use, logging, invasive pests, wildfires and overfishing. Plus any other impacts that diminish the health and functioning of natural processes.

This is the first work that should be carried out, understanding and implementing ways of limiting and reducing the impacts that degrade an ecosystem. This is also important if restoring areas with invasive species. By addressing invasive species before beginning active restoration work you enable native species to establish themselves. Therefore moving the ecosystem in the right direction. 

Rehabilitation 

This can mean improving the ecosystem services within an area. It may not include restoring an ecosystem fully but instead putting the landscape to a new or altered use. This is also needed if the area has been contaminated by toxic materials or chemicals. 

Active Ecosystem Restoration

This is when the ecosystem is degraded to the point that it requires human intervention to kick-start it in the right direction. This usually includes management techniques like planting seeds and seedlings. Plus regular interventions from humans to limit the spread of invasive species. Active ecosystem restoration can also include improving the water cycle by using techniques that allow water to sit and drain into the water table. 

Passive Ecosystem Restoration 

If you’ve stewarded a degraded ecosystem and made sure that it doesn’t require reduced impacts, rehabilitation or active restoration. Then passive restoration is the other option. This means that no action is taken other than to stop the stressors that are stopping the ecosystem from regenerating, such as grazing pressures from cattle. Often by stopping these stressors the ecosystem is at a state of health where it is able to regenerate itself over time. 

Ongoing monitoring and adaptive management. 

Now this is imperative to any ecosystem restoration project. Ongoing monitoring and adaptive management will mean the difference between the long-term success of a project or whether it degrades once more. Ongoing monitoring means that you can check for changes such as the presence of invasive species and pests. Adaptive management is focused on changing techniques to respond to the challenges that arise so that you can keep stewarding the ecosystem towards a restored state. 

So now you know the basics. We highly recommend joining the Earthed community and getting started learning hands-on tools to restore ecosystems and bring nature back. If you’re new to ecosystem restoration then a good place to begin learning about local River Restoration with Paul Powlesland.

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Earthed is a nature skills platform that exists to make every river, city, farm and balcony burst with life. Here, you can learn skills from our nature teachers, celebrate traditional knowledge and those who hold it and take part in community activities across many topics and terrains.

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