An 8-minute video tells how David Bamberger used his wealth to restore 5,500 acres of overgrazed Texas Hill Country by planting grasses to recharge aquifers and rebuild habitat; his land-stewardship model now supports rich biodiversity and is being replicated regionally.
#LandRestoration #RegenerativeAgriculture #WaterConservation #HabitatRestoration #GrasslandRehab #Biodiversity #SoilHealth #SustainableLandManagement #RanchRestoration
#RegenerativeAgriculture highlighted as a transformative approach to ecological farming and soil recovery
August 21, 2025
Excerpt: "Ecological and societal co-benefits
"Indeed, the review outlines a range of co-benefits associated with regenerative agriculture, including enhanced carbon sequestration and potential #ClimateChange mitigation; reduced reliance on synthetic inputs, lowering emissions and pollution; #biodiversity restoration, both above and below ground; improved resilience to #drought, disease, and economic volatility; and possible public health benefits via improved crop quality and #SoilMicrobiome exposure.
The review notes growing scientific interest in links between soil health, crop nutrient density, and human health outcomes—highlighting RA's potential to contribute to broader public goals."
Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-regenerative-agriculture-highlighted-approach-ecological.html
A new critical review, published in the journal CABI Agriculture and Bioscience, highlights the emergence and scientific basis of regenerative agriculture—proposing a working definition centered on ecological cycles and farm system outcomes.
Lessons from the #Incas: How llamas, terraces and trees could help the #Andes survive #ClimateChange
by Alex Chepstow-Lusty, August 26, 2025
Excerpt: "The evidence shows that from around the year 1100, during a period of global warming known as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, Andean communities moved higher up into the mountains. They built terraces, irrigated slopes, and planted trees such as alder to make the soil more fertile and provide wood.
"Llamas and their cousins, alpacas, were vital as they were hardy, light-footed, and supplied wool, fuel and fertilizer. Their communal dung heaps even show up in the lake sediments, revealed by spikes in fossils of certain dung-eating mites that thrived when llama caravans were pastured nearby.
"Together, these practices stabilized soils, reduced erosion, and allowed large populations to thrive in the Andes."
[...]
"When the Spanish arrived in the 1530s, this balance was upended. New livestock—cattle, sheep and goats—trampled vegetation and eroded soils. Their free-ranging herds left waste across the landscape, unlike llamas and their easily-collectible dung.
"At the same time, the Spaniards cut down forests for timber and charcoal, in contrast to the Inca who had imposed harsh penalties to protect their woodland resources. The 17th century Spanish pastor and chronicler, Bernabé Cobo, remarked that a Spanish household used as much fuel in one day as a native household would in an entire month.
"The lake sediments record the ecological damage of the era: excess nutrients from dung, more erosion, and a collapse of the Inca's sustainable land management."
Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-lessons-incas-llamas-terraces-trees.html
#SolarPunkSunday #TerraceGardening #TraditionalKnowledge #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #ClimateAdaptive #LessonsFromThePast #SustainableLandManagement #MedievalClimaticAnomaly #MoreTrees #Colonialism #IndigenousHistory
Many tropical glaciers in the Andes are expected to disappear in the next few decades. Their meltwater sustains millions of people, feeding crops in the dry season, supplying Peru's capital Lima and other big cities, and even boosting the Amazon River. As glaciers vanish, floods and droughts are becoming more extreme.
Sustainable Land Management (SLM) has evolved from "saving the soil" to a focus on healthy ecosystems and prosperous people. A new tool by WOCAT and UNCCD assesses gender responsiveness in SLM technologies and identifies opportunities for improvement. Read more in our article in Rural 21 👉 https://www.rural21.com/english/current-issue/detail/article/embracing-gender-for-sustainable-land-management.html
Sustainable land management has moved a long way over the last 50 years from “saving the soil” to a focus on healthy ecosystems and prosperous people. During the same period, gender equality in development has evolved from merely increasing women’s participation to actively addressing inequalities. WOCAT and UNCCD have created a tool to assess the gender responsiveness of sustainable land management technologies and identify opportunities for improvement.
The UK's environmental efforts are stalling. Wood For The Trees' recent video highlights the barriers to effective woodland creation. From government targets to grant application complexities, our blog breaks down the critical issues and calls for collective action. Read more for insights and potential solutions.
#ProtectEarthUK #ProtectEarthCommunity #SustainableLandManagement #BiodiversityUK #GreenSpacesUK #UKForestry #WoodlandCreation #LandManagement
Resoundingly, the UK's environmental industry is joining together, forming a choir of criticism. The hymn we're all singing is, "Tree planting and better land management practices aren't happening fast enough in the UK". Sadly, we've been singing this same song for so long that we could be
Drought and heavy rainfall are threatening livelihoods in the Ethiopian highlands. Researchers from CDE and WLRC Ethiopia have been working with the local population to develop solutions. The approach is now being extended to other regions in Africa. Read the story 👉 https://t.ly/3nyIF
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CDE, University of Bern
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