Thomas Goreau - Eco-restoration Success Stories
From Biodiversity for a Livable Climate conference: "Restoring Ecosystems to Reverse Global Warming"
Friday November 21st, 2014
1. LARGE-SCALE RESTORATION OF
ECOSYSTEMS AND SOILS NEEDED
TO REVERSE GLOBAL WARMING
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD
HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW TO GROW BACK
THEIR FORESTS AND GRASSLANDS AND
ENRICH THEIR OWN SOIL
HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THEM
9. PLANTED MANGROVE FOREST RESTORED
FISHERIES OF MOLACABOC ISLAND, SAGAY,
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, PHILIPPINES
Alfredo Marañon
SOLAR & WIND POWERED BIOROCK CORAL RESTORATION PROJECT
10. CARBON, WATER,
TEMPERATURE
• HIGH SOIL CARBON CAUSES HIGH WATER
RETENTION, MORE FERTILE SOILS
• THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MANAGE
SOILS TO INCREASE SOIL CARBON
• SOIL CARBON COMES IN MANY FORMS,
RANGES THA LAST FROM VERY SHORT TO
VERY LONG TIMES
• BLACK SOIL CARBON LASTS LONGEST
11. WHOLE WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
• PREVENT SOIL EROSION
• RECYCLE NUTRIENTS ON LAND
• KEEP THEM OUT OF RIVERS,
LAKES, AND THE OCEAN WHERE
THEY CAUSE HARMFULLY ALGAE
BLOOM AND KILL CORAL REEFS
AND FISHERIES
16. COMPLETELY
STOPS
EROSION.
BEST ROOFING
THATCH
BECAUSE OF
NATURAL
INSECTICIDE,
SEWAGE
TREATMENT,
NUTRIENT
TRAPPING,
CARBON
SINK,
RENEWABLE
BIOMASS
PRODUCTION
17. RESTORE WETLANDS
• SWAMPS, BOGS, MARSHES, SALT
MARSHES, SEAGRASSES, & MANGROVES
ARE MAJOR CARBON SINKS, BUILDING
SOILS THAT CAN BE NEARLY PURE
ORGANIC CARBON.
• WE ARE NOW RAPIDLY DESTROYING
THEM BY DRAINING, ADDING THE CARBON
TO THE ATMOSPHERE
• WE MUST REVERSE THIS COURSE
18. BEAVERS CONTROLLED NORTH AMERICAN
HYDROLOGY UNTIL HUNTERS DROVE THEM
TO EXTINCTION, GREATLY INCREASING
SOIL EROSION & NUTRIENT LOSS