Building synergies to leverage the power
of ecological restoration

About the Ecological Health Network

We live in a world of possibilities. Ecological restoration projects exist worldwide in which people are doing heroic work to bring ecosystems back to health. But there is little connection among these sites. The Ecological Health Network is changing that. We work at the intersection of human health & well-being and ecological restoration, where there are answers to some of the most urgent crises of our time.

We have great news!

Dr. Jessica Stanhope at the University of Adelaide is joining EHN as a Research Fellow.

For 12 months beginning in September 2023, Dr. Stanhope will collaborate with EHN and its allies to study how ecosystem restoration may improve human health, both through direct participation in restoration activities and via the products of restoration activities (e.g., greater access and exposure to biodiversity). This work will enhance the evidence base needed to provide a launching pad for the scaling up and mainstreaming of ecological restoration work intended to provide both ecological and human health benefits. Read more about Jessica here.

Strengthening seed and plant supply chains in the US Northeast

Ecological restoration remains constrained by chronic commercial shortages of genetically appropriate, viable seeds and plant material of known provenance for most native plant species. EHN is reinforcing and building network connections to help strengthen the US Northeast’s native seed and plant supply chain. As a result of these efforts we have helped establish the Northeast Seed Supply Network.

Eve Allen is the Director of the Seed and Plant Supply Chain Program at EHN.

Click the button below to sign up to receive email updates and learn about joining the Northeast Seed Supply Network.

Network Hubs, Sites, and Regional Networks

Learn about our Network Hubs, Sites, and Regional Networks.

Publications

Cross, A. T., & Aronson, J. (2023). Editorial: Plant-soil-microbe interactions and drivers in ecosystem development and ecological restoration. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1216016

 

From our colleagues in Australia and the Four Islands Ecohealth Network. Stanhope, J., & Weinstein, P. (2023). Exposure to environmental microbiota may modulate gut microbial ecology and the immune system. Mucosal Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mucimm.2023.03.001

 

Sekera, J., Cagalanan, D., Swan, A., Birdsey, R., Goodwin, N., & Lichtenberger, A. (2023). Carbon dioxide removal–what’s worth doing? A biophysical and public need perspective. PLOS Climate, 2(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000124

 

News & Press

Natural history is essential for reviving North America’s Southeastern Grasslands, Eve Allen, Natural History of Ecological Restoration, September 16, 2023

A Viable Alternative to Conventional Lawn? Margaret Roach, New York Times, September 13, 2023 (Cornell Botanic Gardens is part of the Northeast Seed Network)

Everyone Wants to Repair Our Damaged Ecosystems -- But Where Are the Seeds? by Jesse Hirsch, Ambrook Research, July 14, 2023. EHN seed program in the news!

The ’23 National Native Seed Conference – Cultivating the Restoration Supply Chain and Launching the Northeast Seed Network, Eve Allen and James Aronson (Ecological Health Network), Sefra Alexandra (The Ecotype Project), Geordie Elkins (Highstead Foundation), and Uli Lorimer (Native Plant Trust), Natural History of Ecological Restoration, May 1, 2023