There will be 9 billion people on Earth by 2050. If we're smart, we can supply enough food, water and shelter — and restore ecosystems.
How? By creating economic demand for farming, ranching and water management programs that increase the resilience of natural systems.
Sustainable agriculture »
Why: Prevailing farming strategies are not efficient or adaptable enough to meet demand, especially with climate change underway.
How: We're launching solutions that help retailers, food companies and farmers avoid the business risks of unsustainable agriculture practices.
Wildlife protection »
Why: Existing tools for protecting wildlife can no longer adequately preserve habitat facing encroachment, pollution and other threats.
How: We're defending the Endangered Species Act and creating flexible solutions that balance wildlife protection and economic growth.
Coastal resilience »
Why: Climate change and sea level rise put coastal cities, from New Orleans to New York, at risk from rising seas and increased storms.
How: We're working with engineers, policymakers and communities on restoration projects, like marsh creation, to protect nature and people.
Rebalance water use »
Why: Over-allocation of water in the West means rivers that serve as major watersheds are drying up, as groundwater reserves dwindle.
How: We're working with farmers, cities and policymakers to ensure water markets deliver benefits for wildlife and the economy.
Updates on our ecosystems work
Ecosystems blog posts
Posts by EDF experts, written for a general audience
See all EDF Voices ecosystems posts »
Press releases
All ecosystems-related press releases »
Publications
- Type: ReportDate: February 10, 2020Single page summary of EDF's farm finance report.
- Type: ReportDate: February 10, 2020One-page summary of EDF's NASDA report.
- Type: ReportDate: January 10, 2020Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strategies. Interest increased in flood risk reduction methods using natural and naturebased features, in part, because of increased recognition that such could provide both flood risk reduction and other benefits, such as water quality uplift, community recreational space, and fish and wildlife habitat. Recent flood disasters and the rising costs of disaster response and recovery have triggered policy shifts toward economically efficient investments that enhance greater community resilience. While natural infrastructure is becoming more widely recognized as a tactic for building community and ecological resilience to erosion and flooding, it remains underutilized. Actions to aid consideration of natural infrastructure and scale up its use are presented.
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