From Ants To Ecosystems: One Woman’s Life In Science

The first “real” science experiment I remember designing and implementing was in 7th grade. I found a trail of leafcutter ants — each diligently carrying scraps of freshly cut vegetation — and then moved small groups of ants away from the trail by one, two, three meters. My question was simple: how far off course did an ant need to be before she could no longer find her way back? I had a clipboard and a stopwatch. Very official.

Leafcutters are incredible herbivores, slicing millions of tons of leaves off trees every year. In some forests, these tiny creatures are responsible for taking down 10%+ of all leaves! But leafcutters don’t actually eat leaves. Instead, they cultivate and eat a fungus that grows on piles of chewed-up leaves.

I love the stories that science can help tell about the world. The ants started a path that led me to study biology in college, spending time in tropical forests and savannas and oceans — and it was glorious.

But soon, studying the natural world didn’t feel like enough. While the defoliation caused by leafcutter ants is part of natural nutrient cycling, the relationship most of us humans have with nature these days is not so harmonious. So that’s what I decided to dedicate my life to: working at the intersection of science and practice to build more balance between people and nature.

I’ve since worked in environmental education, sustainable fishing and agriculture, and forest protection. I’ve walked remote beaches with high school students in Costa Rica to study sea turtles, facilitated workshops with groups of fisherwomen to design new management practices, and engaged with palm oil producers and buyers to ensure growing food doesn’t require cutting down more forests. The opportunities to use science for impact are infinite.

I am especially mindful of this on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a UN awareness day. Like my work, the opportunities that arise when women and girls engage with science span multiple Global Goals: education, gender equality, innovation, and climate action.

Today, I’m privileged to run a nonprofit startup called Restor. Restor is like Google Maps for nature. We support the restoration and conservation of ecosystems around the world by bringing together people and projects on a single digital platform to connect them to scientific data, funding, and each other. Restoration has incredible potential to fight climate change, prevent biodiversity collapse, and alleviate poverty. By uniting action from every corner of the globe, we believe we can play a critical role in changing the trajectory of human relationships with nature.

I’m inspired by the millions of female-led restoration and conservation projects around the world. Restor has featured a handful of incredible examples here – check them out! Women and girls are among the groups most affected by the impacts of damaged ecosystems. Involving them in restoration efforts and decision-making ensures they receive the economic, educational, nutritional, and social benefits of restoration.

By increasing the number of women and girls engaged in science and technology, we can ensure we have the talents and skills needed to tackle the increasing threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. At Restor, we believe anyone and everyone can be a restoration champion. Join the movement today!

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About the author:

This blog was written by Clara Rowe, CEO, Restor.

Restor is supported in part by a generous grant from Google.org. Google.org supports innovative work to use tech for good. Google.org is committing $25M to fund AI-enabled solutions that accelerate progress toward the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Google knows that nonprofits and social enterprises are making progress toward these targets, and AI has the power to accelerate their efforts. They seek applications that ladder to one or more of the Global Goals via an open call for applications from nonprofits and social enterprises that they believe will enable much-needed progress by harnessing the power of technology in new ways. The deadline is March 17th, and organizations from around the world are welcome to apply.