Land Webinar | The Science & Practice of Ecosia's Journey to Grow 250 Million Trees
Land Webinar | The Science & Practice of Ecosia's Journey to Grow 250 Million Trees
Part of the Land Webinar Series series
Ecosia, Reforestation, Tree Planting, Biodiversity, Landscape Restoration, Monitoring, Investment and Finance
Welcome from the Chairs
9th Land Webinar
The Science & Practice of Ecosia's Journey to Grow 250 Million Trees
How did a search engine plant 250 million trees? Join us to discover how online searches translate into real-world impact, and how we’re not just planting and growing trees, but ensuring the long-term success and sustainability of our restoration projects.
To celebrate the 250 million trees milestone, Ecosia is hosting an online Restoration Seminar in collaboration with the journal Land.
This seminar will explore the science and real-world practices behind Ecosia’s global reforestation and restoration mission, featuring case studies from leading restoration experts across the world.
We will feature real-world on the ground example of how our partners are working to plant trees to create forest corridors and expand animal habitats, how finance and investment can integrate more trees into business models, how a brigade of firefighters is protecting millions of trees, how an invasive species is creating a business model for forest restoration and much more.
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Session 1: Emerging Opportunities in Global Biodiversity
Chair Dr. Paul Smith (Botanical Gardens Conservation International)
Session 2: Leveraging Finance for Real-World Impact in Forest Restoration
Chair Judith Ngonyo (Grounded Investment Company)
Session 3: Community Engagement as a Driver of Restoration Success
Chair Quinter Peres (The Center for Ecosystem Restoration Kenya)
Session 4: Tracking Restoration Progress Through Monitoring and Follow-Up
Chair Alexander Watson (OpenForests / Explorer.land)
Session 5: Innovative Approaches to Regrow Forests
Chair Dr. Karen Holl (UC Santa Cruz / Holl Restoration Lab)
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Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Ecosia is the world’s largest not-for-profit search engine. It has planted 250 million trees across over 35 countries worldwide. In 2014, Ecosia was accredited as a B Corporation, and in 2017, it built the first of its four solar plants to ensure that it is 100% renewable. In 2018, Ecosia gave away its shares to the Purpose Foundation to ensure that they can never be sold and that no one, including the founder, can profit or receive dividends from the company. Ecosia was founded by Christian Kroll in 2009.
Date: 22 April 2026
Time: 2:00 pm (CEST) | 8:00 am (EDT)
Webinar ID: 827 6968 4049
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Event Chairs
Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI).
University of California, USA
Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Grounded Investment Company, South Africa
Investment Manager at Grounded.
Center for Ecosystem Restoration Kenya (CERK), Kenya
Projects and Partnership Lead at Center for Ecosystem Restoration Kenya (CERK).
OpenForests, Germany
Co-Founder & CEO OpenForests.
Keynote Speaker
Mongabay, USA
Vice President of Programs & Executive Editor at Mongabay.
Invited Speakers
Ecosia
JGI Uganda
JGI Uganda
Missouri Botanical Gardens
Forum Konservasi Leuser (FKL)
Symagine
Slow Coffee
Belterrra
Menschen fuer Menschen
Hommes et Terre
APAF
CEPAN
IPE
Veritree
Uganda Conservation Foundation / Makerere University
Phoenix Conservancy
Mangrove Action Project
Instituto Terra de Preservação Ambiental (ITPA)
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
Time in EDT |
|
Welcome, Agenda & Housekeeping Madalina Mioara Buzatu and Antonia Burchard-Levine |
2:00 – 2:10 p.m. |
8:00 – 8:10 a.m. |
|
Keynote: Journalism, Tree-Growing, and Scientific Research in the Sector Willie Shubert |
2:10 – 2:20 p.m. |
8:10 – 8:20 a.m. |
|
Lessons Learned from 250 Million Trees Pieter van Midwoud |
2:20 – 2:30 p.m. |
8:20 – 8:30 a.m. |
|
S1: Emerging Opportunities in Global Biodiversity Chair: Dr. Paul Smith Speakers: Antonia Burchard-Levine, Peter Apell, Gerald Tumwine, Narindra Ramahefamanana and Nurrahman Fajri |
2:30 – 3:00 p.m. |
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. |
|
Break |
3:00 – 3:10 p.m. |
9:00 – 9:10 a.m. |
|
S2: Leveraging Finance for Real-World Impact in Forest Restoration Chair: Judith Ngonyo Speakers: Mathias Perobelli Schmidt, Sarah Gekeler, Sebastian Nielsen and Marcelo Peretti |
3:10 – 3:35 p.m. |
9:10 – 9:35 a.m. |
|
Break |
3:35 – 3:45 p.m. |
9:35 – 9:45 a.m. |
|
S3: Community Engagement as a Driver of Restoration Success Chair: Quinter Peres Speakers: Melissa de Hertogh, Bahritu Seyoum, Gilles Vanerme and Kokou Bayita |
3:45 – 4:15 p.m. |
9:45 – 10:15 a.m. |
|
Break |
4:15 – 4:25 p.m. |
10:15 – 10:25 a.m. |
|
S4: Tracking Restoration Progress Through Monitoring and Follow-Up Chair: Alexander Watson Speakers: Edmond Muller, Joaquim Freitas, Carolina Biscola and Neda Kasraee |
4:25 – 4:55 p.m. |
10:25 – 10:55 a.m. |
|
Break |
4:55 – 5:05 p.m. |
10:55 – 11:05 a.m. |
|
S5: Innovative Approaches to Regrow Forests Chair: Prof. Dr. Karen Holl |
5:05 – 5:50 p.m. |
11:05 – 11:50 a.m. |
|
Closing of Webinar: What comes after 250 million trees Pieter van Midwoud |
5:50 – 6:00 p.m. |
11:50 – 12:00 a.m. |
Relevant Section
Land, Biodiversity, and Human Wellbeing
Section Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Sean Sloan
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
