Dear Earth Restorers
We love sharing good news stories from the ground, especially with loyal supporters like you whose generosity and kindness helps fund this work. We hope this update will inspire you with hope for a more abundant future, for all.
Finding hope in dry places
In June, the ‘woke’ world observed the United Nations' World Day to combat Desertification and Drought. This could not be more relevant right now with earth's temperatures rising at unprecedented rates and set to reach new records in the next five years, according to the World Meteorological Organisation. While some parts of the planet are getting their first taste of the devastating effects of drought, people like Yasmin at Ecosystem Restoration Community Dryland Solutions in Somalia have been living this reality every day. Yasmin is working to improve the resilience and livelihoods of the local community in the Nugaal Valley region of the country by leading an initiative to restore the land through agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, permaculture and sustainable land management.
Philippines ERC inspires first regenerative island
Bohol Island Province in the Philippines has officially been declared the first regenerative island in the country! This new policy was set in motion and inspired by Ecosystem Restoration Community The Regenesis Project in cooperation with regional authorities. This groundbreaking development means the island now has a comprehensive and holistic framework and a 10-year roadmap which includes watershed restoration, water and food security, broad-scale ecosystem restoration, regenerative tourism, education, youth, civil society, and investment structures in place. And all this came about because a small community decided to take action and start rehabilitating their local, degraded land!
We’re creating a monitoring framework for agroforestry systems
With help from the ERC Foundation, Ecosystem Restoration Community Desperto – Regenerative Cultures Centre in Brazil is starting a collaborative effort to create a monitoring framework for agroforestry systems. This collaboration involves UNESP, a public university in São Paulo, Corredor Ecologico, a Brazilian group that works on ecological restoration, and the Valley Agroforestry Network, a local group of farmers. Over the next four months, there will be four workshops where people working in agroforestry will talk about appropriate proxies, indicators and methods to be included in the agroforestry monitoring protocol. Based on the outputs of these workshops, a common framework will be drafted, shared, and tested by ERC Leader Michel Bottan and his team at Desperto’s agroforestry sites in 2024, with the goal of supporting the successful implementation of agroforestry initiatives around the world.
A grand, green outlook for Kentucky's abandoned mine lands
Just in! See below these before and after shots from Ecosystem Restoration Community Appalachian Renewal Project in Kentucky, US. Taken approximately one year apart, the images show the transformation of this heavily degraded land where dozens of different tree species have been planted on this reclaimed surface coal mine.
"Bean" there, done that!
For the first time, Ecosystem Restoration Community Functional Forests - located amid arid agricultural land in rural Köycegiz, Mugla, Turkey - has welcomed the Fabaceae (legume) on their land. Harvesting this tiny, highly nutritious bean was no easy task as it was grown in rocky soil, but after several attempts - including using a hand tractor, a mechanical tractor with a harvester, and lots of team work - they succeeded in pulling the plants and separating the grains. And the harvest yielded quadruple the amount they sowed! The team has also had their first lemon grass (Cymbopogon) harvest of 2023. This first batch will be dried and used as tea, while the next harvest will be for distillation purposes.
Ecosystem Restoration Communities getting trees in the ground, from Kenya to Costa Rica
Koromi River in Malindi, Kenya, just received another shipment of seedlings, and the new growth is starting to flourish around newly restored land. This latest batch of seedlings now brings their total number of trees planted to 25,000!
The team at Corcovado Foundation planted 300 trees this week at a government property in Banegas in the Drake Bay community, Osa Peninsula, as part of their effort to restore 5 hectares of land that was deforested to make way for cattle grazing. In the coming weeks the team will start on the restoration of 17 additional hectares nearby. Click here if you're keen to know more about what this Ecosystem Restoration Community is doing to fight climate change, protect endangered species and promote community development.
A community on a massive, muddy mission
Mass planting of mangrove seedlings continues on 12 hectares (and counting!) of mud flats in the peri-urban setting of Tudor Creek in Mombasa, Kenya. Driven by Ecosystem Restoration Community Mombasa Mangroves, this community-supported initiative is restoring the mangrove forests for local fishermen - who depend on them for healthy fish stocks - and preserving habitat for the local biodiversity including fiddler crabs, water salamanders, a wide variety of bird species and golden orb weaver spiders.
Catch these inspiring conversations with our Ecosystem Restoration Communities' leaders on the ground
Over the past few months our founder John D. Liu caught up with Rancho Cacachilas in Mexico (a solar-powered, self-sustaining ranch located near La Paz in Southern Baja), and Pachamama in South Africa. You can watch the recordings on these Fireside Chats right here.
Thank you, again and again, for your role in making this all happen.
Warm regards,
Cath, Cristina and the Ecosystem Restoration Communities team
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As we enter the new year, we are filled with gratitude for all the amazing results that we achieved together in 2022!
We're thrilled to welcome Sitatunga Kitale and Koromi River (both in Kenya) and Pachamama (South Africa) to Ecosystem Restoration Camps!
Camp Sitatunga Kitale is active near Kenya's Saiwa Swamp National Park, on land which has suffered many disturbances due to deforestation and unsustainable farming coupled with excessive use of artificial fertilisers. In response to this, Sitatunga's projects are focusing on the reforestation of the Kapolet Forest, which contains 5 important watersheds for the community and wildlife.
Camp Koromi River lies on 500 acres of land in Kenya's hinterland of Malindi. The land has been heavily degraded by massive deforestation and ruminant overgrazing. This initiative is tackling restoration of the ecosystem by introducing sustainable agroforestry. Koromi River’s goal is to be a lighthouse in their community, showing that sustainable agroforestry models in this part of the world are not only valuable for restoring ecosystems but can create more regenerative sustainable livelihoods too.
At Camp Pachamama in South Africa's scenic Garden Route area, the team is regenerating and reforesting 9 hectares of land, with more planned for the future! This initiative is taking place on the edge of the largest native forest in South Africa which has been heavily degraded by deforestation, industrial-scale monoculture forestry plantations, and wildfires which have resulted in major biodiversity loss. What's more, this native forest is home to the last remaining forest-dwelling Knysna Elephant!
Camp Sinal do Vale is restoring degraded land in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil that was once coffee plantations and cattle pastures. Sinal do Vale has been able to plant more than 41,000 native trees on these steep slopes, thanks to grants from One Tree Planted facilitated by ERC, and other partners. While some seedlings were grown in Sinal's own tree nursery, most were purchased from a local, women-led network of native tree nurseries that seek to promote flora and fauna in this highly threatened biodiversity hotspot.
Over the past couple of months Camp Reforest Now in Northern New South Wales, Australia, has been planting thousands (literally) of trees to restore subtropical rainforest. And they've just reached a rather impressive milestone of 400,000 trees planted in the region, with no plans of stopping anytime soon!
It's also tree planting season in Camp Rocciaviva in Matera, Italy, where Piero and the team are on a mission to get native species in the ground before the end of November.
Habiba Community is located just two hours away from COP 27 that took place in November 2022 at Sharm El Sheikh. While world leaders and other global decision makers have been trying to reach decisions, a group of inspiring individuals have been hard at work implementing the solution right there on the ground, with remarkable outcomes for the land and local livelihoods. Consider donating to our GlobalGiving project in support of this amazing group of people who are tackling climate change, hands-on, at this oasis of hope and regeneration in the desert.
Time flies when you’re having an impact! The four years that we have been directors seem to have flown by. Some would say it’s due to Covid that time seems to have sped up, but we are certain it is due to the ever-inspiring stories we receive daily from the movement on the ground. It remains humbling to be in the company of so many leaders, visionaries, and restoration heroes around the world. This is a heartwarming and hope-giving community and we’re proud to be part of it.
There are some achievements that cannot go unmentioned. Together the movement is working to restore over 3 million hectares. To date, nearly 3 million trees have been planted. And, most importantly, ERC has provided a transformative experience - changing the way humans interact with the natural world - to more than 21.000 individuals.
The movement continues to grow with new restoration initiatives coming on board. Many are established and already successful in their own right. They are joining the movement to find a community of people like them that are also taking on the challenges they are confronted with in their region. They are also joining us for the exchange of actionable knowledge the community provides to each other, sharing tips and tricks, getting access to a whole new community of volunteers, and finding a way to reach global audiences with their stories through the channels the Foundation has set up. And they are joining us to find new avenues of funding. We have a team in place that works to understand their needs, search for synergies and ask those that can fund this work to please do so.
As we look forward to 2023, we are eager to discover new opportunities to achieve our vision and mission. And we can’t wait to announce an exciting change early in the new year that aligns with our natural evolution as an organisation. Watch this space!
Best wishes for the new year and thank you for joining us on this journey towards a more abundant planet.
With Gratitude
Pieter Van der Gaag and Jan Hein van der Hoeven, Directors: Ecosystem Restoration Camps
Cristina, Cath, and the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Team
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Andrew Bowker from Camp Reedsdale Regeneration in South Africa is breaking with generations of farming tradition and boldly embracing a regenerative land management strategy, paving the way for other farmers in the drought-stricken area who are brave enough to follow in his footsteps. Read the blogpost here
Camp Khalifah in Mzouda, Morocco has finally experienced rainfall after a year-long drought. And, thanks to dedicated camp workers Lahcen and Moha, the camp was able to reap the benefits of the precious rainfall by capturing and redirecting its flow, slowing it down long enough to seep into the ground and benefit this very thirsty soil in dire need of a drink. The next step is to get trees planted along the swales. Step by step, with patience and dedication, Camp Khalifah is regreening this desert while improving local communities' livelihoods.
Around 800 participants planted an astounding 5,064 trees in three days at Camp Greenpop's annual Autumn festival held in South Africa in early April. The fun-filled weekend included empowering workshops, talks and a line-up of South Africa's top musicians. Scroll through further snapshots from this event on Greenpop's Facebook page. Greenpop's next camp - Eden Festival of Action - is all set to take place in late September.
Reforestation Fireside Chats - Camp Desperto and Camp Doku in conversation with John D. Liu
Our founder, John Dennis Liu, has recently been in conversation with Ziyu Chan from Camp Doku, located in the Malaysian region of the island of Borneo, and with Gaby & Michel from Camp Desperto, located in Caçapava, Brazil. You can catch these recordings on our YouTube channel and hear how these camps are working to reforest their local region.
Fighting fire with cacti in Bolivia
Camp Chocaya in Bolivia, is making fire prevention a top priority by planting cacti to act as living buffers to brush fires. During the dry season, Lloque trees (Kageneckia lanceolata) - endangered in Bolivia and Peru - are especially susceptible to burning. So Camp Chocaya, along with 5 community volunteers are on a fire prevention mission by employing this innovative and environmentally sustainable solution. Even though the cacti won't reach full maturity for 5 years, they will still add value to many other ecosystem services.
THANK YOU - from all the Ecosystem Restoration Camps around the world - for being a part of our mighty movement.
If you haven’t already done so, please consider signing up for our newsletter so we can keep you more regularly updated with inspiring news coming from the camps. You will also receive invitations to our exclusive 'Fireside Chat' sessions which feature a different camp manager each month!
Together, we are restoring the earth.
With gratitude,
Cath, Cristina, and the Ecosystem Restoration Camps Team
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