April 2026 Newsletter

Restore living systems. Stabilize the climate.

Doing Together What We Can't Do Alone

— Diana Doheny, Communications Committee

Our lives, and the natural systems that sustain them, are in a continuous state of transformation, both visible and unseen. As we celebrated Earth Month and Earth Day on April 22nd, we reflected on the state of our planet, and of our own evolution as a global community of action.

ERA began with a bold objective: to challenge "carbon tunnel vision" by participating in the Carbon Removal XPRIZE. To do so, we convened a diverse coalition of scientists, practitioners, and organizations, many of whom had already restored over a million acres of land worldwide.

What emerged was more than a competition entry. ERA became a living network — an ecosystem of people united by a shared conviction: that restoring the Earth's ecosystems is not just beneficial, but essential to stabilizing our climate and securing our future.

Today, ERA has grown into an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit and a vibrant global alliance of over 600 members and thousands of engaged followers, committed to distributed leadership, open innovation, and collective impact in service to a living planet.

More importantly, our work has evolved — from conversation to implementation. Across the globe, ERA members are actively demonstrating what restoration looks like in practice. From regenerative agriculture hubs in Africa, such as the prototype site in Uganda at Edwards Hamlet Regeneration Centre, to ecosystem restoration initiatives like the EcoFinca Restoration Lab in Panama, these are living, working models of what is possible when knowledge meets action.

In March, we launched a powerful new tool to connect and amplify these efforts: the "Big Map to Save the Planet." This interactive platform showcases not only ERA member initiatives, but also more than 4,000 restoration projects worldwide, making visible the growing global movement that is often under-recognized but deeply impactful.

ERA is playing an important role in shifting to a more holistic understanding of how Earth's climate functions — and how people can engage in restoring them.

We have catalyzed an important white paper, co-authored by members across our network. The paper highlights a critical insight: that by monitoring biological influences on heat flux (not just CO₂), we identify and quantify fast-acting approaches to restoring water cycles, vegetation, soil health, and land stewardship, and helping to ensure a verdant future for our living planet.

The science and the lived experiences of our members reinforce this:

• Landscapes rich in vegetation and healthy soil radiate significantly less heat than degraded, barren land, because plants convert solar energy into water vapor and release it into the atmosphere.
• Vegetation plays a central role in driving the "green water cycle," enabling cloud formation, rainfall, and groundwater recharge, while helping regulate temperature at both local and global scales.
• Conversely, the loss of healthy ecosystems through deforestation, industrial agriculture, pollution, and poor water management accelerates warming and intensifies extreme weather events.

These are actionable insights and if they are widely adopted, we can still save the future.

ERA exists and adapts to accelerate this shift. As we expand our impact network, we amplify member ideas, connect practitioners, and co-design solutions. 

This is the work of ERA.

And it is work we can only do — together.

A Note from Jon

Co-Founder, EcoRestoration Alliance

A lot has happened in the last few months and it connects directly to you. We have had some success with fundraising for the ERA Fund to support member projects, and we are working on more. One step toward that goal is to advance ERA's rising profile as a thought leader and pioneer with a distinctive approach to ecological restoration, climate change, and the collaborative synthesis of human, natural and artificial intelligence for the greater good. Another step is to reach out to potential donors and contributors. This may be you, or it may be someone you know. Inquiries and donations are most welcome.

Connecting collaborators to collectively support our living planet — ERA is growing and thriving. Email comms@ecorestorationalliance.org to get more involved.

— Jon

ERA Communications Platform

We are refining our communications platform, to include the Big Map, this newsletter, our Medium blog, and (soon) an updated listing of all of our members' blogs and publications. Please forward this newsletter to those who might be interested.

To subscribe, email comms@ecorestorationalliance.org. Feel free to tell us a little about yourself, and let us know if you think you should be on our Big Map or our Network Map, or a member of the EcoRestoration Alliance!

Welcome, New Members

February & March 2026

Upcoming Town Hall Meetings

Times rotate to accommodate international members. All meetings via Zoom.

Past recordings: ERA Town Hall Meetings  |  Recent: Apr 15  |  Mar 18  |  Feb 18

"The sun does not forget a village just because it is small."

— African Proverb

ecorestorationalliance.org  |  comms@ecorestorationalliance.org

EcoRestoration Alliance Inc  |  36 Brunswick St, Rochester, NY 14607  |  EIN: 93-3612047