Thomas Crowther
@TWCrowther
Followers
6,562
Following
2,148
Media
205
Statuses
1,310
Ecologist @ETH_en and co-chair of the board for UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Lover of nature, sport and D&D. @unep @restor_eco @crowtherlab
ETH Zurich
Joined August 2013
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Pedro Sánchez
• 314437 Tweets
wonwoo
• 257460 Tweets
Wizkid
• 223901 Tweets
#CDTVライブライブ
• 135800 Tweets
woozi
• 122436 Tweets
Davido
• 118483 Tweets
#SixTONES_音色
• 78435 Tweets
新刀剣男士
• 64520 Tweets
Humza Yousaf
• 52157 Tweets
フルサイズ
• 50704 Tweets
#Fes蓮ノ空オープニングライブ
• 47415 Tweets
Thiago Silva
• 46036 Tweets
First Minister
• 45049 Tweets
為替介入
• 44478 Tweets
#SixTONES_アンセム
• 39296 Tweets
Don Jazzy
• 39081 Tweets
CGPJ
• 34958 Tweets
비하인드
• 33216 Tweets
スレイヤー
• 27087 Tweets
ライラック
• 15142 Tweets
feat.葛葉
• 15104 Tweets
OFF旅
• 10404 Tweets
#温泉地総選挙
• 10184 Tweets
Last Seen Profiles
Incredible evening at
@EarthshotPrize
last night! Well done to the winners!!! What a platform to elevate the efforts of environmental projects around the world. It’s amazing for
@Restor_eco
& the SPECTACULAR projects that make this
#biodiversity
movement.
#GenerationRestoration
4
61
574
We're in a race against time when it comes to
#climatechange
&
#biodiversityloss
. We need a Global Biodiversity Agreement at
#COP15
. Thanks to Sebastian Vettel for this important message!
#NaturePositive
#GenerationRestoration
5
61
247
Global restoration is not about planting as many trees as possible. It is about distributing the flow of wealth towards millions of local communities, indigenous populations and farmers that promote biodiversity across the globe.
1
66
243
Definite highlight of my cop was connecting with
@AndreaMeza76
Exactly a year ago at
@EarthshotPrize
awards, we designed our plan to collaborate with the country of Costa Rica to study the biodiversity impacts of their PES program
Hold on for the exiting results coming soon…
5
40
208
Our new
@NatureMicrobiol
article shows how native, diverse microbiome inoculations can enhance natural ecosystem regeneration by 64%
Microbial extinction rates are far higher than anticipated! We must turn these trends around.
@colinaverill
@CrowtherLab
5
60
205
Today, Prince William announced that
@Restor
is one of the first-ever Finalists of The
@EarthshotPrize
. Such an honour for the entire Restor team, including the scientists, collaborators & the thousands of projects who are supporting
#biodiversity
across the globe!
5
41
199
This article was inspired by my experiences with the
@EarthshotPrize
last year. We need to save nature for the sake of nature. And then we will all benefit!
So excited to see the new finalists joining the fight!
#GenerationRestoration
0
42
135
Just to clarify, I truly love natural history. That’s why I got into ecology. I would never intend to criticize the incredible ecologists who do amazing work around the world. I am so sorry for any miss communication. This local scale ecology is 90% of my research.
4
16
115
That's it, this video by Jojo Villareal is my favorite thing of all times. Even more magical than summoning badgers.
2
22
110
Total megafauna abundance, biomass, and energy turnover decreased by 92–95% over the past 50,000 years, implying major human-driven ecosystem restructuring at a global scale!
That’s a striking finding by
@juraj_bergman
,
@JCSvenning
and team
0
38
111
It’s mind blowing to see how plant physiology shifts either side of the solstice.
And how these subtle shifts can have such massive implications for carbon storage on land under climate change
Incredible innovation by
@ConstiZo
and team
3
28
103
So proud of Julia Maschler for this review paper on CO2 fertilization!
Whether or not plants continue to absorb more carbon under climate change is such a key issue. Aligning knowledge across ecological fields is as important as ever before
@CrowtherLab
4
27
101
Great paper on global root:shoot ratios published by
@haozhi_ma
. Useful for global biomass estimation as well as our fundamental understanding of global ecosystems. A brilliant idea by a very independent PhD student at
@CrowtherLab
3
32
98
Restoring trees across the globe could capture loads of carbon in the vegetation, and even more in the soil below! With the potential to offset 2/3 of the excess carbon in the atmosphere:
4
34
95
This is the best mushroom I have ever seen. Does anyone know what it is?
4
13
82
Massive new
@NatureGeosci
paper led by Han Hu & Yuting Liang
We know that warming is increasing carbon emissions from global wetlands. But it is also shifting those emissions to a greater proportion of CH4
Great collaboration
@ManuDelBaq
and many others
0
25
88
5 years ago today, a few enthusiastic ecologists founded the
@CrowtherLab
, in the most inspiring university in the world
@ETH_en
.
The goal - using ecological science to help global biodiversity - has not changed. And neither has our enthusiasm. So grateful to be a part of this!
8
6
81
At every instant, somewhere is the most beautiful place on earth. For a few moments today I think Zurich could have made that claim.
4
1
82
I cannot get enough of this forest. Zurich is pure magic.
3
3
82
So excited about this work led by
@mykophile
and Brian Steadinger - finally we are begging to get a global understanding of the soil organisms that can help us to understand climate change, and manage ecosystems to address it
@CrowtherLab
:
5
36
80
So excited to see our review of global soil biodiversity coming out today. The soil ecological community is really starting to get a handle of this immensely complex and important community!
@DianaWallSoil
@bradfordlab
@johandehoogen
@colinaverill
0
28
79
Artificial media can be so valuable for revealing fundamental insights into fungal systems, when used correctly. Our new paper describes how
@FungusProf
@MSAFungi
@fungalhyphae
:
1
44
67
New year brings amazing new data! How many ecologists have, at some point, wished that there was available data on soil temperature? Long-awaited global maps of soil temperature are finally here.
Great work
@JLembrechts
and team on this epic effort!
1
14
67
So excited to share this preprint for our latest pipeline for geospatial mapping!
For creating, testing, validating and calculating uncertainty for maps from geospatial data. Please try it out using the attached code and we would love feedback
0
14
69
Im so proud and excited to be starting our lab at the uni that brought us Einstein and the Higgs Boson - ETH Zürich
4
6
64
I can't believe it is finally here. ! Unbelievable congratulations to everyone that made
@Restor_eco
happen. Now the journey begins...
1
19
67
Addressing climate change necessitates cuts to emissions and carbon drawdown. The fact that tree restoration is a massive drawdown solution does not imply that we do not urgently need cuts to emissions!
2
10
64
Scientists debate science and that’s what we need!
But there is no controversy about the value of nature. We need it to fight climate change, and to withstand its effects. We need it for local communities, and for the biodiversity that they depend on
1
18
64
New research with concerning trend: Soils in warmer, less developed countries have less micronutrients globally
…
So inspired by my collaborators in Spain. Most fun and productive researchers ever
Led by
@E_MorenoJimenez
w/
@ftmaestre
@ManuDelBaq
2
18
65
As negotiations continue at
#COP15
for a biodiversity framework, we must remember that every thing we have is built on biodiversity.
We don’t have the option to choose a future without biodiversity, even if we wanted to
0
24
64
Field work is always crazy, but restoring degraded forest in Mexico with these legends surrounded by cocodrilos and paradise cenotes is a really wild time
@colinaverill
@CrowtherLab
1
4
63
"
#COP26
is as much about global responsibilities, climate commitments & transparent implementation as it is about innovative ideas, creativity and clean technology to reach
#netzero
." — Markus Leiter
@SwissAmbUK
@Restor_eco
@EarthshotPrize
@ETH_en
#GenerationRestoration
1
11
64
The soil ecological community is an incredible collaborative network.
New paper by Nico Eisenhauer,
@carlosguerra_pt
,
@AntonCollembola
et al highlights the key frontiers in soil ecology that emerged from discussions in the World Biodiversity Forum.
0
28
63
Arriving into Osa (Costa Rica) immediately feels like discovering nature the way it was meant to be.
Must remember to listen to the Jurassic park theme tune next time I fly into this paradise jungle
2
17
60
Our paper on the restoration potential of forests received an overwhelming response. We are so delighted for all the wonderful comments and discussion.
2
15
60
A bit cringey given that I’m certainly no musician, but the birds are unreal at the moment and they make a pretty good orchestra
2
1
59
So excited to see the results of this experiment with
@colinaverill
and
@MAnthony02
, testing how the soil microbiome influences the tree growth patterns that we observed across European forests
#soilmicrobiome
1
6
58
I met one of my scientific heroes -
@jrockstrom
- at the airport. Just after seeing him present at
@TEDCountdown
, it was interesting to see his predictions come true at
#cop26
: this was the COP of nature.
Now let’s pray these no-deforestation pledges aren’t empty promises!
1
2
58
This was a special moment last month
In the chaos of
#COP26
it was surreal find my old
@YaleEnvironment
housemate
@Sam_Teicher
as a fellow
@EarthshotPrize
finalist representing
@CoralVitaReefs
.
And not jealous at all that they actually won the prize for revive out oceans!
1
4
55
Visit our mapping tool to see how many trees you can restore, and which species are best in any location around the world
@CrowtherLab
1
18
52
Even on the coldest, grayest day, the fractal geometry of nature is staggeringly beautiful.
Best observed from a hammock whilst listening to epic Viking music.
2
6
53
Unbelievably proud of ‘Dr’
@hordijk_iris
for defending her PhD today!
Iris is our first
@CrowtherLab
PhD student, studying the role of evenness in regulating the functioning of forest ecosystems.
Looking forward to following her exciting research career! Watch this space!
1
1
49
As Jane Goodall launches her new trillion trees campaign, it’s key to remember that restoring nature is not only about planting trees. It’s natural and assisted regeneration, conservation and sustainable land management. We all have a role to play
1
12
48
Spectacular privilege to hear president Obama present at at
#COP26
! Perfect combination of outrage and optimism.
‘Climate change seems like such a hopeless situation. But we can’t afford hopelessness’
1
7
51
This was a hell of a surprise as I scrolled through my Netflix. I had no idea it was coming
We're on
@netflix
! Let
@TWCrowther
take you on a fascinating journey about
#fungi
, our invisible ecosystem engineers & their vital role for 🌎's ecosystems. Find us in
#AlienWorlds
(Ep 3), a series exploring what life on other planets may be, based on what we know about our own!
5
13
97
1
2
45
Newest paper is out in
@Ecology_Letters
! Global soil carbon stocks are sensitive to combined nutrient enrichment. So proud of this
@CrowtherLab
collaboration with
@NutNetGlobal
. Further proof that soil carbon plays a big role in predicting climate change.
2
22
48
Such an honor for
@crowtherlab
to receive an
@ETH_en
dandelion award for entrepreneurship.
The best part is that the nominations came from students, suggesting that all the hard work is reaching the right people.
0
2
48
Im so excited to be a part of this list, but there are also so many other amazing speakers to see at TED countdown. It's going to be such an exciting event.
4
7
48
I feel like I could do this for ever and never get momentarily bored
4
0
48
My highlight from
#cop15
was seeing my co-chair from the UN Decade advisory board
@mulenkei
. She is such an inspiration, connecting the voices and wisdom of indigenous communities, who can provide such guidance in these biodiversity discussions!
#generationrestoration
3
14
45
Now that it’s actually
#WorldSoilsDay
, I’ll drop the little reminder that, whether you are in a wild Welsh moorland, or a tranquil Swiss forest, it’s belowground in the soil where the the real carbon and biodiversity magic is happening!
0
5
43
Switzerland is covered in edible mushrooms - so awesome. We even found a strawberries and cream mushroom who’s taste definitely doesn’t live up to its name.
1
0
41
350 million new indigenous trees in one day! Ethiopia is leading the race to restore its natural forests:
2
13
36
I think this picture of the brilliant
@LalasiaM
is the best representation of our lab yet.
You can get a glimpse into the chaos of the the academic mind. The mayhem that precedes every clean, concise academic paper.
2
3
39
@DomSchiener
Thanks so much
@DomSchiener
. Ye it’s incredible to see so many communities around the world are working to promote their local biodiversity to improve local wellbeing, economic sustainability and climate. We all just need to do everything we can to help them
0
0
36
So proud to be part of this global
#GFBI
collaboration. Our new estimate of tree diversity suggests there may be 73,000 species on Earth, with thousands yet to be discovered.
Thanks for leading this
@robertocgatti
@alpenbering
and the GFBI team
1
12
37
Even on the calmest days the Swiss alps are endlessly epic!
0
1
36
Need a fire in the rain without matches or paper?
Birch bark is a bushcrafter’s dream natural firelighter
0
1
37
Definite career highlight: David Attenborough mentioned our research in his new show
@CrowtherLab
@ourplanet
1
6
35
Today I'm heading to Lausanne for something truly huge for me, and as you can tell by my face, I'm slightly terrified! 😮
Can you guess what it is? ❓❔❓❔❓
11
2
36
Awesome inaugural lecture
@ETH_en
by
@DeniseMitrano
on the science behind detecting, understanding, and addressing the impacts of microplastics in our drinking water and the environment!
Nailed it!
0
2
36
Another great move from New Zealand! A billion new trees will "rehabilitate degraded environments, help wildlife thrive, and provide around 1,000 jobs".
@crowtherlab
1
10
35
To all ecologists, social and environmental scientists, we need your wisdom! Please register here: to become a formal collaborator of
@Restor_eco
, to share your knowledge with us, and gain access to raw data being uploaded to the platform
1
20
35
“None of us can crack the restoration code alone, but together we have a fighting chance!” That’s why I’m so excited to see
@clarawrowe
taking the lead on
@Restor_eco
to connect the restoration movement!
#GenerationRestoration
0
16
33
"We are no where were we need to be at...The consequences of not moving fast enough are becoming more apparent all the time."—
@BarackObama
Wow, to hear Former President Obama speak on the absolute urgency for
#ClimateAction
now. Follow along here:
0
5
35
My weak constitution kicked in and I got sick in the jungle. So I stayed at home all evening to put my bathroom to the test. And that is exactly the time that 2 tapirs decided to come and hang out around my cabin. Best sickness ever!
#JungleMagic
1
1
35
Today is World Overshoot Day. I, along with the rest of the lab, are committed to
#MoveTheDate
. Let us come together and support this important cause!
#CrowtherLab
@EndOvershoot
0
4
33
This butterfly thought it was auditioning for an Attenborough documentary when it chose this flight plan.
Life is booming in zurich right now
1
2
33
The 500 women scientists are launching a new Fellowship to promote equality in science. Such an awesome movement, and a really cool opportunity
@500womensci
@crowtherlab
1
17
31
School was never for me and I started off university with very little confidence in my academic success. But a life-changing encounter transformed the way I look at things for good. This made me realise the importance of mentors in academia. Read more:
0
7
32
Really exciting new study by former
@bradfordlab
researcher, Camille Delavaux, showing that below-ground mycorrhizal fungi shape aboveground plant patterns at a global scale:
1
14
33
Counting down to the launch of
@Restor_eco
with CEO
@clarawrowe
at
@TEDCountdown
#Time2Restor
#GenerationRestoration
0
8
34
But incredibly, at exactly that second, A badger sprung out of a bush behind us. I have never ever seen a badger before in Zürich. It looked as surprised as we did. And Dan has started to believe that he is an actual wizard. This has never happened before in human history.
5
0
31
"His words strongly resonated with me. Something that had seemed like bad news, him joining the field trip, turned out to be a pivot point in my life." Thank you
@THJ1961
for your patience and for being such a legend!
Read more:
2
6
32
Drylands are essential repositories of biodiversity!
Our new collaborative research led by
@MiguelBerdugo1
shows how climate change and land use make drylands vulnerable to abrupt tipping points that threaten biodiversity and the people who depend on it.
0
4
32
I think the Osa may be the best place I have ever experienced. The jungle feels like a healing place in a very holistic way. But the encounters with stunning animals are what make it thrilling
2
2
32
The best thing about
@cop26
was the feeling of connection. So inspiring to hang out with
@hindououmar
, a giant in the world of Indigenous rights and environmental protection, at the same time as
@MarinaMansillaH
, one of the original climate activists and eternal
#globaloptimist
.
0
0
33
Excited to share this new
@CommsBio
paper showing the importance of nitrogen fixing bacteria in determining the colonization of plants across global islands
Amazing work by
@CamilleDelavaux
and co-authors
@BioGeoKreft
@Weigelt_P
0
12
33
Happy World Soils day everyone.
#WorldSoilsDay
Zurich is getting frosty, but under the canopy, the soil is still active. As a favorite soil organism, it's hard to see past moss.
Moss is the future!
1
4
32
We learn the most when we pool our knowledge. I’m grateful to the many scientists who make our work possible with collaboration and data-sharing.
Thanks to
@GabrielPopkin
for presenting one of the more complex challenges in science
@CrowtherLab
@nature
1
8
30
Really nice paper showing how soil biodiversity develops along predictable trajectories over time as ecosystems develop :
@ManuDelBaq
@NoahFierer
@ftmaestre
0
6
32
Ultimate highlight of
@cop26
was connecting with our new
@EarthshotPrize
Nature finalists family: Papa Stephen, and I (Kaka Thomas) are so excited to team up with the Minister for the Environment, Costa Rica
@AndreaMeza76
to protect and restore nature!
0
3
30
people keep telling me that there is no point restoring forests if we can’t stop human carbon emissions. Of course we need both! You wouldn’t stop trying to cure for lung cancer until everyone stopped smoking!
@CrowtherLab
3
4
31
We inherently know that microbes are key for ecosystem function. But it is so hard to isolate their effects at a continental scale.
@MAnthony02
and
@colinaverill
have done this beautifully, showing how fungal composition affects forest development.
0
11
32
Finally, appreciation for the importance of natural forest protection seems to have ripened at COP this year.
We have always depended on nature for our survival. Now we also need them to help stabilise our climate. We need emissions cuts AND nature!
3
4
32
We need a change of perspective.
Nature is not just a tool in the fight against climate change. It’s one of the reasons we want to address it in the first place because it is the essence of life on Earth.
#GenerationRestoration
@TIME
@Restor_eco
0
9
30
So proud of the exceptional work by
@bast_jief
@CrowtherLab
, showing the real potential of restoration for climate mitigation is so much greater than we ever expected.
1
11
29
Yep, I will be speaking
@TEDxLausanne
tomorrow!😃
Thank you so much for this incredible opportunity to share
@CrowtherLab
's science!
0
1
2
2
5
28
Great work untangling the magic of Autumn leaf senescence
@ConstiZo
& Deborah Zani
@CrowtherLab
. My fungi are sitting patiently in the ground just waiting for your leaves to fall
0
6
29
Please view this video of splendid fairywrens with extreme caution. Viewers who are sensitive to bright colors, stunning beauty or remarkable cuteness will be highly susceptible to this video. Shot by Mark Eatwell
0
1
28
Amazing to see trees high on the agenda at
#Davos2020
#WEF2020
. are estoring trees to draw down carbon and support global biodiversity. But this is DEFINITELY no silver bullet, as emissions cuts are still the highest priority for climate
1
10
28