Rewilding Earth: A Movement for Conservation and Restoration

Rewilding the Earth inspires a collective movement to restore ecosystems and revive endangered species for future generations.

### Rewilding the Earth: A Call to Action for Conservation
* 🌍 As the first generation to witness the widespread destruction of nature, it's clear that **human expansion is shrinking habitats and causing wildlife decline**.
* 💔 Edward Abbey's words resonate: "**Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul**," inspiring a commitment to act against despair through rewilding efforts.
* 🌱 Rewilding involves allowing nature to **heal itself** and actively restoring ecosystems by **reintroducing missing species**, which has been a **personal journey** for the speaker.
* 🌳 Over the past 30 years, significant efforts have led to the acquisition of **over two million acres of habitat** in Chile and Argentina, resulting in the creation of **15 new national parks**.
* 🦌 The restoration of ecosystems has allowed **24 native species to thrive again**, showcasing the potential for landscapes to **recover even after severe degradation**.
* 🚀 However, the urgency of the climate and extinction crises necessitates a shift towards **large-scale conservation strategies** that **connect fragmented ecosystems across borders**.
* 🌊 By protecting natural corridors, such as rivers, we can **facilitate wildlife movement and biodiversity**, ensuring the survival of species like **jaguars and huemul deer**.
* 🌱 Ultimately, this journey transcends individual efforts, aiming to **inspire future generations to embrace a vision of abundance and wildness** for both nature and human communities.

I'm of the first generation in all of human history to witness the decimation of wild nature taking place in every corner of the planet. This isn't a mystery; we know this. At the end of the day, it's simple mathematics. We humans expand our footprint, habitat on land and sea shrink, wildlife numbers fall, temperatures rise, and human communities suffer. And this is what keeps me up at night. But I'm also busy. Edward Abbey, the godfather of environmental activism, once said, Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul. And for me, the antidote to despair is to act. And the most direct action at Tompkins Conservation is to be part of the global movement of rewilding the Earth. So what is rewilding anyway? It means allowing ancient nature the space and the freedom to heal itself. And when that's not possible, actively restoring territories and bringing back species who have gone missing.

Rewilding is both simple and miraculous. I know this because I have lived it. Here's what I think can happen if we take on rewilding the continent at a massive scale. Because frankly, we're kind of running out of time saving the natural world. So if there was ever a moment for a Hail Mary pass in conservation, I think this is it. 30 years ago, when my late husband, Doug Tompkins, and I began working on land conservation projects, we weren't really sure what we were going to do, but we knew we would invest everything we had in terms of our time and resources to slow down the freight train of development that we saw destroying the natural world. As climbers, ski racers, wildlife people, we had long begun to witness with our own eyes, and it was time for us to react to those things that were oh so clear to us. For the two of us,

that meant making a 180-degree shift of our business lives. Doug, as the cofounder of “The North Face” and then “Esprit.” And for me, it was retiring from Patagonia company after 25 years, 18 of those years as CEO. We moved to a roadless area at the tip of South America, at the foot of a very deep fjord in Chile. We committed ourselves to saving as much wild habitat as we could, at first by simply buying land, ultimately acquiring over two million acres of key habitat in Chile and Argentina. Some of these tracks were still wild, but some were deeply degraded after a century of livestock overgrazing and deforestation and other threats. We formed teams on the ground and worked with communities and local, regional, national governments. And partnering with now 12 presidential administrations in the two countries, we gave back everything that we put together in terms of conservation lands by donating them in the form of new national parks.

(Applause) Yes. (Applause) So far, we’ve initiated 15 new national parks, protecting over 15 million acres. We came to know, without a doubt, that landscapes can recover, even those forests, grasslands, wetlands hardest hit. But the more we worked saving and restoring lands and seascapes, the more we came to realize that you can't have healthy ecosystems if keystone species are missing. As Lois Crisler said, “Landscape without wildlife is just scenery.” And we never saw ourselves as being in the scenery business. Protecting large-scale territories is essential. You can't paint a masterpiece unless you have the canvas. But once the territory is secured long-term, we had to commit ourselves to go beyond land conservation and set our goals to leaving behind fully functioning ecosystems. Figuring out what species are missing or whose numbers are low and fragile, and commit to bringing them back.

And that's exactly what we're doing. Today, Patagonia grasslands, temperate rainforests are safe and whole, and nearly two million acres of wetlands have been protected. A total of 24 native species, which were nearly extinct, are again roaming free and reproducing in their rightful territories, from apex predators that influence entire ecosystems to seed bearers, herbivores, smaller predators, each playing out their essential role in the theater that we call life. In Chile, the population of the nearly extinct huemul deer is no longer losing ground. And after a century of livestock grazing in the Patagonia grasslands, which celebrated the killing of predators such as cougars and foxes, they are back and they are thriving. But all of this experience has shown us that this is still not enough. The speed and power of the climate crisis and the extinction crisis demand, I think, that we change our tactics again,

and this time it's got to be on a massive scale. Yes, the parks offer refuge from the forces of industrialization, and we know ecosystems can be restored. And very importantly, we know that when people reconnect with nature, it inspires them to protect it. But at the same time, if you think about it, parks, even the massive wild parks, are islands. They're not connected. And this is a huge problem because in order to survive and become resilient, ecosystems need to be connected. Sometimes extensions of territories and sometimes as stepping stones. One way or the other, flora and fauna have to be able to expand over territories as they once did. So how is this done? It requires expanding strategies into the next 20 years. We have to reconnect the wild fabric of South America, both from Chile and Argentina. Our 30 years of conservation work is radiating up and out now, reconnecting habitat and species back into one full continent.

Luckily, and not surprisingly, Mother Nature has already built the literal road map to make this possible. In Chile, this means going up the entire spine of the Andes with endangered species and down the currents to Antarctica, following marine wildlife systems beyond -- and this is the point -- human-made borders. As an example of this in Argentina, rivers are natural wildlife bridges. So if we protect the rivers and the land around them, we create these continental-scale corridors. Think of them as wild highways. In our kind of work, there's a saying about the role of top predators that I think helps make this clearer. In our case, if jaguars can expand their territory from north to south, east to west, then everybody else, animals, insects, flora, fauna, can walk under their legs. And that's our goal. So from Ibera National Park in Argentina, we build connections across the borders in Brazil, Paraguay,

Uruguay, Bolivia, and create biodiversity throughout the La Plata River basin, the Yungas cloud forest, the Chaco forest, the Atlantic forest. There's no question that this is a very audacious next and new step. I'm 73, and for the first time in my business and conservation life, I know I'm not going to see the end of this new story. But that's OK with me. In fact, a very wise and good friend of ours, Wes Jackson, said to us years ago, If your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough. (Laughter) (Applause) Today, the original teams we built have become independent organizations known as Fundación Rewilding Chile and Fundación Rewilding Argentina. And they are continuing this work long into the future. Sometimes people ask me what Doug would have wanted and what I would hope our legacy becomes.

And I always say the same thing. As proud as we are of what we've been able to accomplish thus far, none of us spends much time looking backwards. Rather, we see all the work that we've done as a foundation to build third, fourth generations of team leaders who share a common vision with us. And that is, we refuse to accept a future without wildness, without abundance, and dignified human communities. So what started as a personal journey has become a journey of many. From several dedicated individuals to whole teams, generations of teams, and communities who are joining the movement toward regenerative economies, followed by their offspring and their descendants. And finally, this journey is about bringing back large-scale territories, keeping them safe, and finding the species who were long gone missing: the jaguars, the huemul deer, the Andean condors, giant anteaters, pumas, Pampas deer, the bare-faced curacao.

the Darwin’s rheas, maned wolf, marsh deer, macaws, ocelots, red-footed tortoises, giant river otters. May they thrive long into the future. They are the legacy long after our story is told. And remember, the first step in saving nature is the rewilding of our own minds. Thank you very much. (Applause)

A Bold Plan to Rewild the Earth — at Massive Scale | Kristine McDivitt Tompkins | TED

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The speaker is part of the first generation to witness the widespread destruction of wild nature, driven by human expansion and climate change.

The antidote to despair for the speaker is taking action through rewilding, which involves giving nature the space to heal and actively restoring habitats and species.

The speaker emphasizes the need for a massive scale rewilding effort, believing it is crucial for saving the natural world.

A Commitment to Conservation in South America

The cofounders of The North Face and Esprit, along with a former Patagonia CEO, shifted their focus to conservation in South America, acquiring over two million acres of key habitat.

They partnered with local communities and governments, ultimately initiating 15 new national parks and protecting over 15 million acres.

Recognizing the importance of keystone species, they committed to restoring fully functioning ecosystems and bringing back missing or fragile species.

Patagonia's grasslands, temperate rainforests, and wetlands have been successfully protected, leading to the resurgence of 24 native species, including apex predators and herbivores.

The nearly extinct huemul deer in Chile is now thriving, and predators like cougars and foxes have returned to the grasslands.

To combat the climate and extinction crises, there is a need for a massive-scale approach to reconnecting ecosystems and species across South America over the next 20 years.

Creating Biodiversity Corridors in South America

Mother Nature's roadmap in Chile and Argentina, through the Andes and natural rivers, offers a strategy for creating continental-scale wildlife corridors.

The expansion of top predators like jaguars is crucial for promoting biodiversity, as their territory growth allows other species to thrive.

The conservation efforts have led to the establishment of independent organizations in Chile and Argentina, ensuring the continuation of the work for the future.

The Journey Towards Regenerative Economies

The speaker emphasizes the importance of looking forward and building a legacy of team leaders with a common vision for a wild and abundant future.

The movement has grown from dedicated individuals to entire communities and generations, all working towards regenerative economies and the restoration of large-scale territories.

The speaker highlights the importance of bringing back extinct species and rewilding our minds as the first step in saving nature.