Biodiversity for a Livable Climate

Follow the water, and you’ll probably find a beaver. 🦫 Follow the beaver, and you’ll find an entire ecosystem. But what happens when their work collides with human infrastructure and activity? We are proud to co-host the hybrid 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit this June, centered on the theme "Resilience Through Relationships." Resilience Through Relationships reflects a fundamental truth: thriving ecosystems depend on strong relationships—between species, landscapes, and people. Advocating for beavers means fostering connections across different perspectives, listening to concerns, and working together to find solutions that benefit both communities and ecosystems. By restoring our relationships with nature and with each other, we can create a more resilient and abundant future for all. This year the summit is hybrid. So whether you join us online or in person, we hope to see you there! 📍Virtual or Oakton College, Des Plaines, IL 🎟️ Register: https://lnkd.in/gJcBwjYv 🗓️ Thursday, June 5, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT The 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit is presented by Illinois Beaver Alliance, Oakton College, and Superior Bio-Conservancy. #beavers #beaverbeliever #MidwestBeaverSummit #wetlands #wildlife #water #climateresilience

Now making its ways through the U.S. Senate, the so-called "Fix Our Forests Act" (H.R. 471) is a logging bill disguised as wildfire “management,” enabling industrial deforestation in the name of fire prevention by giving loggers a hall pass to bypass critical environmental protections. The Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill TODAY at 11am ET. Watch: https://lnkd.in/eXgpxM4w Join our call to STOP the bill: https://lnkd.in/dgVn8eUy

What do you see here? No, it's not an abstract painting. It's a map. Forests aren't just a random assortment of trees. They're dynamic, self-organizing ecosystems shaped by deep ecological relationships. A new study led by Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) reveals that there is hidden order to the chaos. These distinct patterns shape how different forests grow, creating the conditions for thousands of species to thrive side by side. In tropical forests, animals spread seeds far from parent trees, reducing competition between the same species. In temperate forests, trees tend to cluster together, benefiting from underground fungal networks that help protect young saplings. All that diversity-by-design adds up to more than just a beautiful landscape. Diverse forest ecosystems generate rainfall, store carbon, cool the planet, and protect against drought and fire. Understanding forests means understanding the natural life-support systems that help sustain us all. Read the full report from UFZ: https://lnkd.in/dPnG4PQg Image courtesy UFZ.

I was honored to present on Biodiversity for a Livable Climate's work with Miyawaki forests in the Greater Boston area at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University this past Sunday, March 23rd. The beauty and benefits of mini forests are vast, not only in restoring ecological function, habitat, and participating in the natural cycles of the Earth, but also in their power to restore hope, build community, cultivate life-force, expand our empathy and respect for the natural world and a deeper sense of purpose for our shared future. We look forward to continuing this important work in collaboration with others and the more-than-human world.

My journey into understanding Earth’s systems—how life, atmosphere, water, land, and geological processes interact to shape our planet and regulate its climate—began 1.5 years ago when I joined one of Jim Laurie’s courses that he teaches at Biodiversity for a Livable Climate. His approach isn’t about traditional lectures; he guides you through readings, engaging discussions with peers, and open exploration of ideas, leaving you with new insights and a deeper understanding of the world around you. This course is more than just learning—it’s a space to share, discuss, take action, and connect with like-minded people. If you’re curious about how life—from microbes to mammals, including us—has transformed Earth, I highly recommend Jim’s new course, centered on the book Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life by Ferris Jabr. The first class starts tomorrow, February 26—don’t miss it!

Registration is open! Earth is a living miracle in our corner of the Universe, full of symbiotic connections that cover the lands and oceans in a wide array of diverse ecosystems. Starting Feb. 26, Restoration Biologist & Futurist Jim Laurie leads a new Biodiversity Deep Dive course, exploring the history of those connections. Learn more and register below.

Bio4Climate ED Rebecca (Beck) Mordini JD lays out how the dismantling of some federal agencies and initiatives could impact our work and that of eco-restorers around the world. 🌳 The Inflation Reduction Act grants support the municipal urban tree programs that help fund our Miyawaki forests. 🍅 The end of Climate Smart Farming programs would affect our farming friends who have been working hard to implement regenerative practices and make a living, without selling out to developers. 🌱 Globally, the shuttering of USAID will most likely affect farming programs in the areas that we know need eco-restoration most. Links to those programs have already been removed from the internet. "Bio4Climate is a beautiful community that has formed our own global tribe around a shared knowledge of the Earth as a living system that both creates climate and is impacted by climate. Let's keep our hearts, hands, and eyes on our end goal-more nature and more community."

"Transformative change is urgent, necessary and challenging. However, fundamental shifts in how people view and interact with the natural world can help accelerate the system-wide changes needed for a more sustainable world." That's right. Global transformation starts with local action. And the reality is there's a lot we can each do TODAY to kickstart that systemic change. 📚 Educate your Neighbors. Host a talk at the library or local coffee shop on the vital importance of wetlands, grasslands, and forest ecosystems. 💧 Keep water on your property. Install rain barrels, rain gardens, and gray water systems. 🌳 Green your community. Cool your town with biodiverse Miyawaki forests, pocket parks and rain gardens. 🍅 Support regenerative farmers directly through farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture. And if you need more ideas, we've got you covered: https://lnkd.in/dDDjWpjw

No single industry impacts our wold more than farming. Our industrial farms could be carbon sinks, absorbing massive amounts of excess carbon dioxide. Instead, most emit significant amounts of carbon. They could double as water-rich oases of biological diversity, preventing both flooding and drought. Instead, many contribute to both. Food & Farming is a new online course from Bio4Climate that reimagines our relationship with land and explores the impact of farming on our water, our wildlife, our climate, our health and our economy. How does regenerative farming work? Why should we value it? How can we apply the same principles of soil health in our own gardens and home landscapes? 🗓️ Thursdays, Feb 6 - March 27 🔗 Enroll: https://bit.ly/4h3h0Rl 🧑🏫 Instructor: Hart Hagan

A great primer on what it would take to rehydrate CA and make it more resilient to fires. https://lnkd.in/e6Fizyf7