Almost 40% of Earth’s land is degraded, meaning that the natural cycles that sustain biodiversity, water, food, and livelihoods are breaking down. This degradation is an ecological crisis, and, it also lies at the root of massive social breakdown, displacement, and conflict. And it’s accelerating.

In this episode, I speak with Dutch ecologist and entrepreneur Willem Ferwerda, founder of Commonland, one of the leading global initiatives tackling land degradation via large-scale holistic landscape restoration. Their work spans over 20 countries, with projects restoring millions of hectares from South Africa to Spain, Australia to the Netherlands. We get into their unique 4 Returns Framework - a powerful, intuitive model that integrates ecological, social, financial, and inspirational/spiritual returns.

We talk about:

Communities building long-term visions together across sectors
The importance of meeting different audiences where they are
The role of storytelling, spirituality, and local leadership
How restoring land helps restore meaning and purpose
And how, ultimately, all this work is about regenerating life

Episode Website Link

Show links:

Look out for meditations, poems and readings in between episodes.

Music: Electric Ethnicity by Igor Dvorkin, Duncan Pittock & Ellie Kidd

Photo Credit: Commonland

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Episode 11: Voices of CLO: Michelle Braden