Why Ecological Engineering?
Nature based solutions support environmental resilience, social responsibility and sustainable development.
What We Do.
Our regenerative development solutions support people and nature to beneficially coexist on planet Earth.
Working out how people and nature can beneficially co-exist on planet earth is the grandest of all society's challenges.
At Verterra, we contribute by designing nature-based solutions that regenerate landscapes and transform environmental risks into economic and social value.
What we do is embedded in both our discipline and our name, which guides everything we do.
A matter of balance
In the early 19th century, the Anglican clergyman and political economist, Thomas Malthus laid out the apocalyptic theory that geometric growth in the world’s population would exceed the planet’s ability to produce food and resources.
His views contrast directly with those of Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Solow, who in the mid-20th century expounded the theory that the world’s environmental and resource problems could be solved by technology and innovation.
Notable examples include the growth in agricultural production delivered by the green revolution of the mid-20th century, and an array of processes that turn waste into valuable resources.
At Verterra we subscribe to the need for a balance between Malthusian and Solovian principles.
What is Ecological Engineering?
Ecological engineering involves “the design, construction and management of sustainable ecosystems that integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both” (Mitsch and Jørgensen, 2003).
Shortcomings of both Ecology and Engineering are addressed in the integrated field of Ecological Engineering. It combines basic and applied science from engineering, ecology, economics and natural sciences in a healthy blend of ecology and technology for the restoration, construction and management of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.
Ecological engineering involves essentially practical solutions that require a sound understanding of how our environment works. It frequently complements conventional engineering approaches.
Ecological engineering relies on a systems approach to problem solving, conserves non-renewable energy sources and supports biological conservation.
It treats waste as a resource and promotes development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The Ecological Engineering Manifesto
In 2022, over eighty practitioners and scientists from around the world signed a manifesto on the role of and need for ecological engineering to support environmental resilience, social responsibility and sustainable development.
Read the manifesto here.
