By 2030, at least one billion hectares of degraded land must be restored. According to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we have seven years more to bend the curve on nature and biodiversity loss. Only by creating a global restoration movement, we can recreate a balanced relationship between people and the ecosystems that depend on them and bring nature back.
Moreover, this approach underscores that restoration is not only about returning ecosystems to their historical state, it involves proactively building their resilience for the future and adaptation to climate and other changes. This might include strategies like growing diverse tree species to protect against wildfires or revitalizing farmlands to endure prolonged periods of drought.
The number of collaborative interactions and on-the-ground activities needed to upscale restoration activities to the point where they are having meaningful global impacts is too great for one initiative to directly orchestrate and manage. Therefore, the only way global ecosystem restoration can be achieved is if local people everywhere are able to take part.
However, there are various obstacles that are preventing everyday people from taking part in ecosystem restoration, including lack of access to practical restoration skills, knowledge, and community. This is what Earthed is on a mission to change.
In alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Earthed is a member-based charity on a mission to remove these obstacles by providing access to the skills, networks, and funds that enable anyone anywhere to start restoring their local ecosystems. Earthed supports individuals to grow and restore nature through a library of high-quality, practical nature-skills video courses. What’s more, Earthed unites a global community learning to grow through a community area with events and forums.
In the words of Earthed cofounder, Christabel Reed: “Ecosystem restoration is the only way we will prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide. Participation at the local level is not only the most effective way to scale this action, but is also an antidote to climate doomism, false solutions, social polarisation and apathy.”
Covering diverse biomes, multiple nature skills, and currently in the process of being translated into multiple languages, Earthed wants everyone to have access to the essential nature skills needed to restore and regenerate ecosystems everywhere. Earthed members can learn how to grow food, plant for pollinators, restore rivers, harvest rainwater, increase biodiversity, defend against wildfires and so much more.
“Earthed brings added value to the Generation Restoration movement, offering practical knowledge and education on restoration across multiple ecosystems. It is a natural alliance that provides essential skills to a growing movement" said Mirey Atallah, the Head of the Nature for Climate Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
As well as learning practical skills, Earthed courses are platforming the knowledge, commitment, and livelihoods of people across the planet, demonstrating the ability for humans to be an actively positive force for nature and the ecosystems within which they live.
On Earthed you can travel to Aotearoa, New Zealand, and learn about Māori Food & Soil Sovereignty with Dr Jessica Hutchings, or head to London and learn Urban Gardening with Alessandro Vitale in his inner-city garden; grow mushrooms and microgreens with Jack Hodgson, or travel to the Mayacamas Mountains and learn about biodynamic farming.
Building community is also essential for the long-term success of restoration projects. That’s why Earthed members are encouraged to take part in community activities and discussions across many topics and terrains.
Anyone can become a member of Earthed over at www.earthed.co and start engaging in the ecosystem restoration movement. For a limited time, Earthed is offering a 4-week free trial of Earthed Membership. Head here to access your free trial and start learning nature skills and connecting with growers from around the world. Members have unlimited access to all of Earthed’s courses as well as the Earthed Community, with further courses and events in the pipeline as they further grow next year.
Following the success of the sold-out Earthed Summit, the Digital Earthed Summit will be taking place in January 2024. With the theme, ‘Our Future, Regenerated’, this exciting new annual event will shine a spotlight on the power of ecosystem restoration and our human potential to restore nature and communities. Join the waitlist for the Digital Summit here.
About Earthed
Earthed is the nature skills platform for a global community learning from and for nature. The charity exists to galvanise and support 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 grow food. Together, the growing Earthed community will mainstream restoration knowledge, help fund community-oriented regeneration projects, build back biodiversity, restore degraded ecosystems, localise food systems, and help every balcony, city, farm, and river burst with life.
About the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration
The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, led by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and its partners, covers terrestrial as well as coastal and marine ecosystems. As a global call to action, it will draw together political support, scientific research, and financial muscle to massively scale up restoration. Find out how you can contribute to the UN Decade. Follow #GenerationRestoration.