Thomas Crowther is a professor of ecology at ETH Zürich and the founding chair of the Advisory Board for the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. His research lab focuses on global-scale ecology to understand the role of biodiversity in regulating the Earth’s climate. Using a holistic approach, the lab publishes papers on the global extent and potential of biodiversity to impact human well-being. Their research has revealed that the planet is home to approximately 3 trillion trees, quantified carbon losses from high-latitude Arctic soil as the planet warms, and mapped the extent of mycorrhizal fungi that structure ecosystems worldwide. This interdisciplinary work has led to several international policy mechanisms, including the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Trillion Trees campaign, aimed at promoting global biodiversity conservation for the well-being of people around the world.
In 2020, Crowther founded Restor.eco, an online platform supporting hundreds of thousands of community-led restoration projects globally. By democratizing access to funding and data, the mission is to find and empower the millions of local stewards of land worldwide who are crucial in the fight against biodiversity loss and climate change. Currently, the platform supports over 200,000 local community-led projects, including those by farmers, indigenous populations, and local communities, spanning over 160 million hectares. It provides access to monitoring data and financial resources necessary for sustainability. By increasing visibility to customers and funders, Restor.eco helps distribute over $11 million per year to these local initiatives. Due to these impacts, Restor.eco was celebrated by Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, and in 2021, he was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
