Douglas Tallamy | Nature's Best Hope | Talks at Google

Douglas Tallamy discusses simple steps that each of us can—and must—take to reverse declining biodiversity and why we must change our adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one, drawing concepts from his book "Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation that Starts in Your Yard".

Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable, and by acting now, you can help preserve our precious wildlife—and the planet—for future generations.

Doug Tallamy is the T.A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include "Bringing Nature Home", published by Timber Press in 2007; "The Living Landscape", co-authored with Rick Darke and published in 2014; "Nature's Best Hope", a New York Times Best Seller, released in February 2020, and his latest book "The Nature of Oaks" was released by Timber press in March 2021. In 2021 he co-founded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writer’s Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.

Moderated by Erin Beller.

[CanadianPermacultureLegacy]

In 7 years, I've added thousands of plants to my property and turned it into paradise. I'm now trying to spread the same message as Doug. What a wonderful video this was, an absolute pleasure to watch.

[queensnynativeplants]

Another great talk by Doug Tallamy. His talks have really inspired me to take some action. You know, it helps me a lot. Every day I go out and spend some time looking at the insects around my house. Even in the past 15 years, there are way fewer moths. Got plenty of bees, though. I blame insecticides among other things.

[awildapproach]

I highly enjoyed the talk. Doug’s talks always get better and better. I learn something new every talk!🙂

[euclid]

This is great! Getting people to want to welcome bugs into their yard will take a huge shift in mindset, but it’s good to hear a solution.

[LittleSpaceCase]

This is such a good talk I wish this was standard education in schools

[francostacy]

I’m a fan of Dr Tallamy and have listened to him several times and I learn more each time I listen to him. Sadly I have spent decades promoting many of these plants that are not native and not net friendly. I did this out of ignorance, I simply didn’t know. In my current landscape I currently have several non natives that i planted. I am slowly reducing my mowed lawn and providing food plots for human and insects birds and mammals and adding the natives. My goal is to have zero non native invasive. Not add any new natives and the non natives that provide some benefit and are not invasive I will make a case by case decision on their fate

[cameo]

Inspired me to adopt friends' amd family's yards--completely transforming to natives and no chemicals and no lights. Now my own HOA....

[christinefedruk]

Great talk! Looking for resources for doing this in the high desert of S NV. I inherited most of my plants and am not sure they are optimal for local wildlife. Sadly homegrown national park doesn't have anything listed for my region yet.

[RugbyNick]

I would suggest Takoma Park, Maryland as a neighborhood where native plants are really catching on.

[francostacy]

I would like to know more about the impact of light and was spectrum or kelvin temp of light is less impactful

[Meekseek]

And how about ArborGen sterile and round up read trees, those will be wonderful for insects and birds no one needs seeds and everyone wants round up ready everything!

[debrahhuber]

It is both inspiring and dreadfully sad. Living in the Himalayas, asI have for a decade, I have been witness to tremendous loss of diversity. Dams, with resulting loss of water. monocultural and high toxic input apple orchards, tree felling for highways. Overbuilding is rampant. However, your wonderfully informative lecture can be adapted to any part of the globe. We keep on despite all.

[yourfriendwill]

if we need to appeal to self interest to save the world, we're already lost. (spoiler: we're already lost)

[lucydavenport]

Developing a plant list for the hottest parts of the country— Phoenix as prototype— incorporating climate adapted species from arid Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Mediterranean Europe. My new company is based in Portland. Oregon.

[francostacy]

I also get a hint of that private ownership is not a good thing. I didn’t really care for the comment about how much land a Church owns. Private ownership is the most flexible land. We have once you educate people and encourage them they can change the landscape of what they own faster and more efficiently than any government owned land. Private ownership is the answer, not the problem. This planet needs both public and private so eggs are not in one basket.

[francostacy]

I think we make another mistake and that is we see humans and nature as separate and it’s either humans that support or don’t support nature. I see humans as a PART of nature and can not be separated. And in my observation we act like humans is the only creature on earth that has no regard for the planet. I see humans as the only species that is aware of their impact and can do something about it. All species of animals would destroy their environment out of ignorance if they had that power. Humans are the only ones that have the capability to be self aware and make a decision on how, when, and how much positive and negative impact we bring to the world. I think of separating the nature consciousness on the earth between indigenous and non indigenous humans is not accurate or valuable because then you can make the same Margarette about native versus introduced. We are the ark humans just like you do for plants, mammals, and insects

[RosyOutlook]

Another rich man tells us what we do wrong and need to right.