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What is ecological restoration? How will it change lives in the developing world? Leading Open University academics Joe Smith and Vince Gauci introduce this three part film ‘Hope in a Changing Climate’ which focuses on restoration projects in China, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Local villagers work together to rebuild the ecosystem which in turn has restored their environment. By changing their farming practices and re-vegetating these barren lands farmers are significantly improving their way of life. Additional video tracks include interviews with Rwandan president H.E. Paul Kagame and the Wang Family, a success story from China's Loess Plateau. Hope in a Changing Climate, is a new documentary co-produced by The Open University and EEMP for BBC World, with support from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), The Open University, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and The World Bank.
Track 3: China's Loess Plateau
Loess is a thin soil. When it is dry it is whisked up into great sand storms, which blight Beijing and other cities. As part of the restoration project farmers were paid to keep their cattle off the hillsides. The results are astounding, the farmers now grow high value cash crops and the air is cleaner.
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Tracks in this podcast:
| Track | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hope in a changing climate | A short introduction to this album. Play now Hope in a changing climate |
| 2 | Academic introduction to the 'Hope in a changing climate' film | Leading academics Joe Smith and Vince Gauci discuss some of the key issues highlighted in the film. Play now Academic introduction to the 'Hope in a changing climate' film |
| 3 | China's Loess Plateau | Loess is a thin soil. When it is dry it is whisked up into great sand storms, which blight Beijing and other cities. As part of the restoration project farmers were paid to keep their cattle off the hillsides. The results are astounding, the farmers now grow high value cash crops and the air is cleaner. Play now China's Loess Plateau |
| 4 | Ethiopia's re-vegetation | The land of Tigrai a village in Ethiopia has been degraded by centuries of subsistence farming. Eroded gulley's of dry mud show the force of floods that poured down the hillside when the rain came. Once the floods had gone, drought followed. Now after five years these once barren gulley's are green and rich with vegetation. Play now Ethiopia's re-vegetation |
| 5 | Rwanda's environmental restoration | Rwanda is the watershed for the White Nile and Congo river, but until now the rain water ran straight off the hillsides, eroding soil and famine became a possibility. Because the government intervened early, little serious erosion occurred, the hydro-electric dams are filling up and the hillside is revegetated. Play now Rwanda's environmental restoration |
| 6 | Rwanda's water source | Alex Mulisa from the Poverty Environment Initiative talks about the significance of Rwanda to the survival of the river Nile and how acting locally has given Rwandans hope. Play now Rwanda's water source |
| 7 | Loess Plateau's success: The Wang Family | Three generations of the Wang family have harvested peanuts, which grown among their carrots. Their income has risen four fold. They grow nine different fruits, vegetables and cereals. It's no longer a matter of survival, as they now make money from their produce. Play now Loess Plateau's success: The Wang Family |
| 8 | An interview with the Rwandan President H.E. Paul Kagame | President Kagame's looks at the way forward, 'there is no excuse for anybody to continue to cause damage to our planet'. Presidents Kagame's message is that people are the solution and that people who pollute more, pay more, and people who pollute less are rewarded. Play now An interview with the Rwandan President H.E. Paul Kagame |
| 9 | Ethiopia: Trees for life | Professor Legesse Negash reveals how restoring Ethiopia's mountains is of regional, national and international importance. Play now Ethiopia: Trees for life |
| 10 | Ethiopia: all in the soil | Professor Legesse Negash shows John Liu how in five years he has managed to turn an old tarmaced highway into rich fertile land with organic soil and natural vegetation. Play now Ethiopia: all in the soil |
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