Pressing Questions about Ecosystem Restoration, Answered

Photo: Sea weed farmer at work in sea weed farm in Nusa Penida, Indonesia. Photo credit: Pradeep Raja Kannaiah / Alamy Stock Photo. Article by Will Anderson. World Resources Institute – May 17, 2021.

The world’s ecosystems are under threat.

Fires are turning biodiverse forests in California and wetlands in Argentina and Brazil into charred landscapes. The ocean is getting warmer and more acidic, bleaching colorful, fish-filled coral reefs across the Seychelles. The abuse of the soil, exacerbated by overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is damaging the long-term economic and ecological health of struggling farm communities in China.

These threats — such as commodity agriculture, climate change and overfishing — are specific to every land and seascape. But all forms of ecosystem degradation have one thing in common: When people hurt ecosystems, they also hurt economies, biodiversity and the climate.

The damage is reversible, though. Restoring degraded ecosystems is not only possible, but it makes economic sense, too. […]

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