How do trees talk? What are ecosystem services? Do trees make our cities – and ourselves – healthier?
Discover the answers to these and other fascinating questions with our selection of videos, for adults and kids, carefully screened by our team. Use the filters below to select for different topics and movie lengths, and find what you want to watch!
An introduction to Ecosystem Services
A nice introduction to the different types of Ecosystem Services and how biodiversity and intact ecosystems contribute to our life quality and security.
Source: California Academy of Sciences
Palm oil in Indonesia
Can palm oil really be produced without causing deforestation? In Indonesia, the global top producer, palm oil is one of the main drivers of deforestation in the country. But palm oil is also a critical industry, involving small farmers & multinational companies, governments and international investors. As this video shows, any attempt to improve the current situation must deal with all these levels and realities.
Source: The Forests Dialogue
Forests: Nature at your Service
An animated short film about the importance of forests in our lives. Produced for the United Nation Environment Programme on World Environment Day 2011 and narrated by David Attenborough.
Selah: Water from Stone
A fascinating example of landscape restoration. Almost 50 years ago, David Bamberger used his fortune to purchase 5,500 acres of overgrazed land in the Texas Hill Country. Planting grasses to soak in rains and fill hillside aquifers, Bamberger devoted the rest of his life to restoring the degraded landscape. Today, the land has been restored to its original habitat and boasts enormous biodiversity.
Source: Fin&Fur Films
Agroforestry: a short introduction
This short animation shows, in a simple way, how agroforestry is a desirable alternative to intensive monocultures. By combining agriculture and forestry, with the right omix of species and practices, it is possible to protect soil quality and create additional productivity and benefits for the ecosystem and people.
Source: PUR Project
A forest in your backgarden
This interesting TED talk presents eco-entrepreneur and TED Fellow Shubhendu Sharma, who – as a profession – grows ultra-dense, biodiverse mini-forests of native species in urban areas. He describes how to grow a 100-year-old forest in just 10 years, by engineering soil, microbes and biomass to kickstart natural growth processes.
Source: TED Talks
Nna Saama Mankolou – Mangroves for our future
Bringing back the mangroves in Gambia: this video gives a clear picture of how important mangroves were to this Gambian community and how they are trying to recover them in a true grassroots effort that also includes bee-keeping, education and different measures to improve living standards and socio-economic opportunities. This effort is coordinated by the Sankandi Youth Development Association – SYDA, a Gambian community group and our platform member.
Source: Facebook page of SYDA
Mikoko Pamoja Blue Forests – People & Mangroves Together
Taking the example of the Mikoko Pamoja, a project developed by our platform member Association for Coastal Ecosystem Services (ACES), this video shows not only the importance of mangrove forests but also how this project combines science, restoration and the improvement of lives in a coastal village of Kenya.
Source: ACES website
Vom Wert der Natur
Welche Ökosystemleistungen stellt uns die Natur zur Verfügung, ohne dass wir dafür zahlen? Und wie profitieren wir davon?
How trees talk
The other www is the Wood Wide Web – a network of trees and fungi that connects entire florests, allowing them to share food, resources and information.
Source: BBC News’ YouTube channel