Stepping up: with Tom Crowther

In the Stepping Up series we have been speaking to environmental leaders that sit outside of philanthropy to explore how we step-up to the political, environmental and societal moment we are in.  In this session we will be joined by Thomas W. Crowther,  professor of global ecology and founding chair of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Thomas W. Crowther is best known as the scientist behind the ‘Trillion Trees Initiative’. Described in the Guardian as the “Steve Jobs of Ecology”, his work focuses on global biodiversity protection and the social transformations that drive it. His 2026 book, Nature’s Echo, has been described as the scientific basis for global environmental optimism.

Far from environmental despair, Crowther’s science reveals avenues for large-scale social and ecological regeneration. In 2020, he founded Restor, an online platform that operates as “the Google Maps for restoration”. By democratizing access to data and sustainable financing, Restor supports rural communities and indigenous populations working across 201 million hectares of land, and was named as a finalist in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. Crowther is the Chair of the BRANCH Institute, which coordinates an international network of scientists across 6 leading universities around the world. For his work on biodiversity protection, he was named a New York Times Changemaker and recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.