Ecosystem restoration has a positive and direct impact on all our lives
We empower ordinary, everyday people to take the lead in restoring the earth, working together to change the broken system ourselves, rather than waiting for others to take action. We are a network of people and projects doing people-centered productive restoration to increase and build back the ecosystem functionality of degraded landscapes. The Ecosystem Restoration movement offers solutions, eases eco anxiety and inspires people through positive impact stories, learning opportunities and hands-on experiences. The restoration work at communities draws carbon down and cools the surface temperature of the earth, thereby fighting climate change. Restoring degraded land also increases local biodiversity, restores water-systems, and improves food-security and local livelihoods. It is empowering to know that you, as an individual, can have such a significant impact through the simple act of working together to build biologically diverse, life-supporting ecosystems.
Restoring ecosystems creates a world of abundance, with more than enough natural and financial health and wealth for us all.
We enable ecosystem restoration to happen at a planetary scale
In 2017, we started by establishing an Ecosystem Restoration Camp in Spain. The movement has since then grown to more than 50 communities in around 30 countries across six continents. Our big goal is to have one million people come together by 2030 to reverse ecological destruction and restore biodiversity in over 100 locations around the world. The Ecosystem Restoration Communities movement functions as a collaborative global living lab, where local every day people and volunteers from around the world not only take on restoration, but also innovate, learn from their experiences, refine their interventions, and share their learnings with the world.
The ecosystem restoration communities function as collaborative, living labs where locals and global campers not only take on restoration, but also innovate, learn from their practices, refine them, and share their learnings with the world. These local living labs collectively form a large, global living lab that is contributing to a knowledge base on how to create abundant and thriving regenerative practices. The camps are developing the proof-of-concept in local landscapes that will inspire and attract all who live there to join the worldwide effort to restore ecosystems and introduce regenerative practices that will make it possible for humanity to survive on this planet.
ERCs are able to support their neighbours in adopting these regenerative practices, by sharing their resources of knowledge and campers who can physically undertake the restoration work.
ERCs learn from each other through the global knowledge exchange platform, where other restorers around the world who are dealing with similar issues can share their successes and failures, and learn from experts in the field of restoration. Through this platform, all camps become better at what they do.
The ERCs are also places where everyday people can go to learn about restoration and make a positive impact by physically taking part in bringing land back to life. Camps provide a meaningful, empowering experience that changes the way participants see their relationship with earth. It is this changed attitude of people – as they start to see themselves as part of nature and not separate from it – that will enable a personal transformation and build the strong foundation for our sustainable success.
The ERCs are positively affecting the lives of people in degraded places
By rehabilitating damaged and degraded forest and wetland ecosystems and practising regenerative agriculture, Ecosystem Restoration Communities are restoring the natural function to the land. This leads to an increase in soil fertility; a reduction in soil erosion, floods and drought; and the re-establishment of entire food webs. Restoring the earth brings about a significant reduction in poverty through the return of sustainable livelihoods in degraded areas. And, the most empowering part of this is that local communities bring about this change, working hand-in-hand with a global community committed to a more beautiful and resilient Earth.