Willie Smits: How we re-grew a rainforest

http://www.ted.com By piecing together a complex ecological puzzle, biologist Willie Smits has found a way to re-grow clearcut rainforest in Borneo, saving local orangutans -- and creating a thrilling blueprint for restoring fragile ecosystems.

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Watch the Top 10 TEDTalks on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10

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Nonprofits & Activism

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• Borneo
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[SONofEIRE1987]

willie smits is the man

[BFDK]

Men like him gives hope for the future !

[christo930]

I want to comment on the BMW ad at the end. For one, not all of a barrel of oil can be made into diesel fuel, much of it can't 'can't be made into diesel. If we want to switch our entire fleet to diesel, the market would have grown so much (cause it would take over 20 years) that the fuel that might be saved would be eaten up by all the new cars. We need a fundamental shift, that using a 3klb vehicle to transport a 160lb body is simply not a good idea. We need to drive less, carpool etc.

[iLOVENATURE2011]

i salute this guy! =)

[chawinnieshu]

i'm in tears

[AKAOJ]

You know when i feel like giving up. I turn to TED.

[3877michael]

Love this video. Gives hope.

[QuantumProphet]

@createdwithcare even spying is subject to resource allocations, so it is just impossible. Power structures in the USA for example only have to buy congressmen, what people like you and I do with their lives is of no importance, when those people can own the superstructure and stick a sword up your ass indirectly by creating a neoliberal system that gives you no healtcare and no job insurance. We are serfs already

[QuantumProphet]

@TheShadowlin even spying is subject to resource allocations, so it is just impossible. Power structures in the USA for example only have to buy congressmen, what people like you and I do with their lives is of no importance, when those people can own the superstructure

[ThanksgivingWalk]

Amazing and very inspiring. Great teaching tool. I was looking for some permaculture videos and was very fortunate to have came across this video.

Thanks for sharing.

TGW - USA - Louisiana - Beaureagard Parish

[cheri425]

God bless you. You are doing a great job!

[TheShadowlin]

@createdwithcare well this is an experiment. I understand your point. However if we had hundreds to thousands of these it would not be feasible to spy on them all. But you're right, this could easily be turned into a new form of feudalism or reservations. In fact the way things are going, the govt may decide this is what's needed to reverse years of corporate slaughter and endorse Dole and Monsanto owned forests. That's why regular people have to get into this 1st while they still monoculture.