In this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew we ask what it means to regenerate and restore degraded forests and landscapes, and why so many tree-planting projects in the past have failed.

Mya-Rose Craig (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew’s scientists including Dr James Borrell, and Dr Kate Hardwick, who are leading the conversation and collaborating with other organisations on how to reforest and regenerate successfully. We visit the Woodland Trust’sHome Farm, one of the largest native woodland creation sites in Southern England, where Forest Research Forest Ecologist Nicola Cotterill is carrying out research into how genetic diversity can help strengthen the ecosystem.

Building back ecosystems with genetic resilience is essential if we want species to survive disease, pests, climate change and other changing conditions. But UK woodlands are facing an enormous battle with Ash Dieback. We meet Russell Croft, the Arboretum Manager at Wakehurst, to find out how the team there are managing the effects of this disease in Kew’s own beautiful nature reserve.

And Professor Katie Field explores how the past can unveil incredible insights into our forest ecosystems.

Further afield, in Thailand, Professor Steve Elliot and the team at FORRU (Forest Research and Restoration Unit at Chiang Mai University) are working with schools to run innovative seed collection and tree planting programmes as part of their version of the “Framework Species Methodology”. As they restore tropical forest ecosystems, Steve explains how all wildlife is prospering from planting the right kinds of species in open areas close to natural forest.

Kew’s partnerships around the world enable amazing seed conservation and species reintroduction work to take place and this has extended to the volcanic slopes of Indonesia, at Mount Ciremai. Dr Dian Latifah and Dr Yayan Kusuma from BRIN tell us about this exciting project.

Dr Kate Hardwick has worked heavily in the tropics and is Restoration Coordinator for Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Programme. She and Isabella Tree – Wilding author and co-owner of the Knepp Estate in Sussex – unpick the differences between rewilding and regeneration and explore the spectrum of conservation that encompasses these approaches to regenerating our landscapes.

Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed and to enjoy a new episode every fortnight.

You can find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at Kew.org.

In this episode of Unearthed: Nature needs us from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew we ask what it means to regenerate and restore degraded forests and landscapes, and why so many tree-planting projects in the past have failed.
<a href="https://www.birdgirluk.com/">Mya-Rose Craig</a> (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew’s scientists including Dr <a href="https://www.kew.org/science/our-science/people/james-s-borrell">James Borrell</a>, and Dr <a href="https://www.kew.org/science/our-science/people/kate-a-hardwick">Kate Hardwick</a>, who are leading the conversation and collaborating with other organisations on how to reforest and regenerate successfully. We visit the <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/">Woodland Trust’s</a> <a href="https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/home-farm/">Home Farm</a>, one of the largest native woodland creation sites in Southern England, where <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/">Forest Research</a> Forest Ecologist <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/staff/nicola-cotterill/">Nicola Cotterill</a> is carrying out research into how genetic diversity can help strengthen the ecosystem.
Building back ecosystems with genetic resilience is essential if we want species to survive disease, pests, climate change and other changing conditions. But UK woodlands are facing an enormous battle with <a href="https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/ash-dieback-wakehurst">Ash Dieback</a>. We meet Russell Croft, the Arboretum Manager at Wakehurst, to find out how the team there are managing the effects of this disease in Kew’s own beautiful nature reserve.
And <a href="https://x.com/katiefield4?lang=en">Professor Katie Field</a> explores how the past can unveil incredible insights into our forest ecosystems.
Further afield, in Thailand, Professor Steve Elliot and the team at <a href="https://www.forru.org/">FORRU</a> (Forest Research and Restoration Unit at Chiang Mai University) are working with schools to run innovative seed collection and tree planting programmes as part of their version of the “Framework Species Methodology”. As they restore tropical forest ecosystems, Steve explains how all wildlife is prospering from planting the right kinds of species in open areas close to natural forest.
Kew’s partnerships around the world enable amazing seed conservation and species reintroduction work to take place and this has extended to the volcanic slopes of Indonesia, at Mount Ciremai. <a href="https://x.com/dianl2311?lang=en-GB">Dr Dian Latifah</a> and <a href="https://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/dr.+yayan+wahyu+candra+kusuma/667831.html">Dr Yayan Kusuma</a> from <a href="https://www.brin.go.id/en">BRIN</a> tell us about this exciting project.
<a href="https://www.kew.org/science/our-science/people/kate-a-hardwick">Dr Kate Hardwick</a> has worked heavily in the tropics and is Restoration Coordinator for Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank Programme. She and <a href="https://www.isabellatree.com/">Isabella Tree</a> – Wilding author and co-owner of the K<a href="https://knepp.co.uk/knepp-estate/">nepp Estate in Sussex</a> – unpick the differences between rewilding and regeneration and explore the spectrum of conservation that encompasses these approaches to regenerating our landscapes.
Subscribe to this podcast to catch up on earlier episodes of Unearthed and to enjoy a new episode every fortnight.
You can find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and support their cutting-edge conservation research and training at <a href="https://www.kew.org/">Kew.org</a>.

Wildlife is becoming extinct at an alarming rate and habitats are under strain. What can nature itself teach us about how to heal our planet and support biodiversity?

In Unearthed, the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew invites you to explore how plant and fungal knowledge can be harnessed to change our world for the better.

Series 3 “Unearthed: Nature needs us”, takes us on a journey from soil to sky, scaling the tangle of nature’s systems and interactions to help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Dr Mya-Rose Craig (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew experts, as well as communities and organisations across the world who are combining learnings in science, wildlife, conservation and restoration to work within the bounds of nature and help halt the devastating impacts of unsustainable human activity.

From farming practises and food production to land use, pollinators, traditional techniques, tech and forestry to tackling poverty and inequality through environmental policy, join us as we untangle the secrets of nature and seek solutions to our world’s problems.

Subscribe to all episodes and catch up on earlier series of Unearthed from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on this feed.

Wildlife is becoming extinct at an alarming rate and habitats are under strain. What can nature itself teach us about how to heal our planet and support biodiversity?
In Unearthed, the Royal <a href="https://www.kew.org/">Botanic Gardens Kew</a> invites you to explore how plant and fungal knowledge can be harnessed to change our world for the better.
Series 3 “Unearthed: Nature needs us”, takes us on a journey from soil to sky, scaling the tangle of nature’s systems and interactions to help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
<a href="https://www.birdgirluk.com/">Dr Mya-Rose Craig</a> (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew experts, as well as communities and organisations across the world who are combining learnings in science, wildlife, conservation and restoration to work within the bounds of nature and help halt the devastating impacts of unsustainable human activity.
From farming practises and food production to land use, pollinators, traditional techniques, tech and forestry to tackling poverty and inequality through environmental policy, join us as we untangle the secrets of nature and seek solutions to our world’s problems.
Subscribe to all episodes and catch up on earlier series of Unearthed from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on this feed.

Unearthed - Nature needs us

Wildlife is becoming extinct at an alarming rate and habitats are under strain. What can nature itself teach us about how to heal our planet and support biodiversity?

In Unearthed, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew invites you to explore how plant and fungal knowledge can be harnessed to change our world for the better.

Series 3 “Unearthed: Nature needs us”, takes us on a journey from soil to sky, scaling the tangle of nature’s systems and interactions to help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

Dr Mya-Rose Craig (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew experts, as well as communities and organisations across the world who are combining learnings in science, wildlife, conservation and restoration to work within the bounds of nature and help halt the devastating impacts of unsustainable human activity.

From farming practises and food production to land use, pollinators, traditional techniques, tech and forestry to tackling poverty and inequality through environmental policy, join us as we untangle the secrets of nature and seek solutions to our world’s problems.

Subscribe to all episodes and catch up on earlier series of Unearthed from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on this feed.

Wildlife is becoming extinct at an alarming rate and habitats are under strain. What can nature itself teach us about how to heal our planet and support biodiversity?
In Unearthed, the Royal <a href="https://www.kew.org/">Botanic Gardens, Kew</a> invites you to explore how plant and fungal knowledge can be harnessed to change our world for the better.
Series 3 “Unearthed: Nature needs us”, takes us on a journey from soil to sky, scaling the tangle of nature’s systems and interactions to help us tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
<a href="https://www.birdgirluk.com/">Dr Mya-Rose Craig</a> (AKA “Birdgirl”) hears from Kew experts, as well as communities and organisations across the world who are combining learnings in science, wildlife, conservation and restoration to work within the bounds of nature and help halt the devastating impacts of unsustainable human activity.
From farming practises and food production to land use, pollinators, traditional techniques, tech and forestry to tackling poverty and inequality through environmental policy, join us as we untangle the secrets of nature and seek solutions to our world’s problems.
Subscribe to all episodes and catch up on earlier series of Unearthed from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew on this feed.

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