What did I think nature recovery was prior to Ambios vs what I think now having been a trainee?
My time at Ambios has been eye-opening for my understanding of nature recovery. Perhaps this shouldn’t have come as a surprise, I have enrolled in a ‘Nature Recovery Traineeship’. What was once a naïve assumption that a simple trifecta of trampling megafauna, enough space and enough time is now an appreciation for the myriad intricate relationships needed for ecosystems to thrive.
Of course I had read about the mycelium network, soil degradation, and trophic cascades, but they and so many other processes seemed to me to be divorced from one another; siloed, governing their own little areas of nature, with little to no concern for, or effect on, the others. However, as a result of our sessions with Mike, Jess, Christian, Fraser and others, I have learned that these processes are all interconnected. They are just as important, in some cases arguably more important, than the trampling and grazing effect of megafauna which controls the spread of energy-limiting dense canopy cover.
The mycelium network is the subterranean highway facilitating the exchange of minerals and nutrients between fauna. Without this highway, trees, shrubs, and grasses cannot communicate. For this highway to be built, our soils must be healthy and filled with an abundance of microscopic life. Tiny critters eat organic matter, resulting in mineral rich excretions which give healthy soil its dark colour and help make nutrients available for plants. This all contributes to the flow of energy through food webs, which in turn supports healthy nature recovery.
I have also learned that nature recovery has a more inward facing element. While we seek to heal the damage we have done to nature over so many centuries, we must also recognise the amount of damage we have inadvertently done to ourselves. I have been challenged to explore my own personal relationship with nature. Do I see it merely as a soulless resource which we have extracted unsustainably, or as a gift from a loving mother which we have snatched and gobbled up ungratefully instead of cherishing?
Finally, I have learned that nature recovery is not bound by scale. Returning great expanses of overgrazed and nutrient-saturated land to a state of ecological balance is great, if you’ve got access to all that space. Working with Annie, Leona and Zoe in the garden, I’ve learned about organic farming, permaculture, biodynamic farming and regenerative agriculture practices that can be done in the comfort of your own back garden. Not only can these practices result in a generous crop of healthy home-grown produce, but they can also return a wealth of biodiversity to urban and suburban environments.
✍ Ben Wilson, Autumn 2024 Nature Recovery trainee
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