How Poop Turns Into Forests | Ludmila Rattis | TED

翻译人员: Chen Xuan

When I was a child growing up in Brazil,

当我还是个孩子在巴西长大的时候，

I would play by stepping on cow's poop barefoot

我会赤脚踩在牛粪上玩耍，

just to feel the warm and soft sensation of the digested organic matter

只是为了感受消化后的有机物质

going through my toes.

穿过脚趾的温暖和柔软的感觉。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

But for my family, animal waste had another level of importance.

但是对于我的家人来说， 动物粪便还有另一个重要性。

My grandma would sell the manure and split the money with my mom.

我奶奶会卖掉粪肥 然后和我妈妈分钱。

That was my mom's only income as a housewife,

那是我妈妈 作为家庭主妇的唯一收入，

raising her four children,

她抚养四个孩子，

while my father worked in our farm.

而我爸爸在我们的农场工作。

That's my grandma.

那是我奶奶。

On that very farm, my grandpa had a stroke of genius.

就在那个农场里， 我的爷爷突发奇想。

Instead of ordinary fences,

他没有使用普通的栅栏，

he carved out some ditches surrounded by trees,

而是开辟了一些树木环绕的沟渠，

creating forest corridors for animals to cross.

为动物开辟了绿色走廊。

It was like Mother Nature's highway system,

它就像大自然的 的高速公路系统，

allowing critters to commute from one leafy paradise to another.

允许小动物 从一个绿叶天堂通勤到另一个天堂。

My mom never wanted me to rely on animal waste for a living.

我妈妈从来不想让我 依靠动物粪便为生。

My grandpa did not know he was increasing the landscape connectivity

我爷爷不知道他无意间

for animals to cross,

增加了动物穿越的景观连通性，

but they were both working on nature-based solutions

但是在这些术语流行之前，

before the term became trendy.

他们俩都研究着 基于自然的解决方案。

Two aspects of ecosystem restoration:

生态系统恢复的两个方面：

investing in soil fertility

提升土壤肥力

and increasing the landscape connectivity.

和增加景观连通性。

Bringing back the nutrients,

将营养带回自然，

bringing back the forests:

将森林带回自然，

both with positive consequences for the entire system.

两者都对整个生态系统 产生积极影响。

I believe a healthy ecosystem should stand behind every plate of food.

我相信每一盘食物背后 应该有一个健康的生态系统。

So today, as a scientist,

因此，今天，作为一名科学家，

my role is to understand how to produce food

我的角色是了解 如何生产食物，

while we let animals working in ecosystem resilience in a changing world.

同时让动物在不断变化的世界中 保持生态系统的韧性。

So I started where those changes are happening,

所以我从这些变化 发生的地方开始，

in the tropics, in Brazil,

在热带地区，在巴西，

in the Amazonia.

在亚马逊。

And it's in there, in the wilds of the tropical forests,

正是在那里， 在热带雨林的荒野中，

the tropical South America,

在南美洲热带地区，

that beholds the star of our tale:

找到了我们故事的主角：

the lowland tapir.

低地貘[mò]。

Those pig-like creatures grace the landscape from the Amazonia

从亚马逊到潘塔纳尔山脉，

to the Pantanal.

这些跟猪相似的生物 为景观增光添彩。

Aren't they cute?

它们是不是很可爱？

(Audience murmuring)

（观众低声细语）

When it comes to big animals,

对于大型动物，

they tend to eat a lot of low-energy food like leaves.

它们往往会吃很多低能量的食物， 比如树叶。

But tapirs are different.

但是低地貘是不同的。

Up to 36 percent of their diet is based on fruit,

它们多达36％的饮食 以水果为主，

and they have a very long digestive system.

而且它们的 消化系统很长。

And they love to go for a walk.

它们也喜欢去散步。

So let's picture that.

因此，让我们想象一下。

They go for a walk.

它们去散步。

They find fruits along the way,

它们沿途寻找水果，

they eat them while they process.

一边吃一边消化。

And they keep walking in degraded areas,

当它们继续在生态退化的地区行走，

and eventually they poop.

最后它们会在那里拉屎。

And when they poop, they help to spread the seeds

当它们排泄时， 它们会帮助它们喜欢吃的水果的

in the fruits they love to eat.

种子传播。

Tapirs are big, tapirs are tough,

低地貘很大，低地貘很壮实，

and tapirs poop ... a lot.

也拉的很多...

And how do I know that?

我怎么知道的？

Because at the research station that I work on,

因为在我工作的研究站，

at the Southeast Amazonia,

在亚马逊东南部，

among many other things, we wash poop.

除其他东西之外，我们还要洗粪便。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

We walk in the forest looking for their latrines,

我们在森林里散步 寻找它们的茅坑，

and latrines are something like a toilet

它们的茅坑就像厕所，

but without the large bowl, just a lot of poop together.

但没有马桶， 只有很多粪便堆在一起。

We find them, collect, wash,

我们会找到它们，收集、清洗、

count and identify as many seeds as possible.

计数和识别 尽可能多的种子。

In one dung, we find on average 733 seeds

在一个粪便中，我们平均发现了733颗种子，

belonging to up to 24 different species.

属于多达24种不同的物种。

We can see hundreds of seedlings emerging from one dung.

我们可以看到数百颗幼苗 从一个粪便中长出来。

And they can become trees, big trees.

它们可以变成树木，参天大树。

And because large-seeded trees tend to be deep rooted

而且，由于大种子 树木往往扎根深

and drought resistant,

且耐旱，

those seed dispersers are helping to create a tree community

因此这些种子传播者 正在帮助创建一个

that’s resilient and resistant.

有韧性和抵抗力的树木群落。

But sometimes, as you can see,

但是，正如你所看到的，有时候，

tapirs poop too many seeds in one place,

低地貘在一个地方排出过多的种子，

leading to competition among the seedlings.

从而导致幼苗 之间的竞争。

So other animals come in to help, luckily.

幸运的是，其他动物也来帮忙。

Some of those animals [are] the dung beetle.

其中一些动物 蜣螂[屎壳郎]。

Dung beetles help to disperse the seeds throughout the forest.

屎壳郎帮助种子散布在整个森林。

There are two kinds of dung beetles dispersing seeds:

传播种子的屎壳郎有两种：

rollers and tunnelers.

滚轮屎壳郎和挖地屎壳郎。

Rollers roll the poop away from the source

滚轮屎壳郎将粪便从源头滚开

and bury it underground,

然后埋在地下，

while tunnelers bury the poop right by the source.

而挖地屎壳郎则将粪便直接埋在源头旁边。

When they bury the seeds,

当它们埋下种子时，

they revolve around the soil and may make it better for the seeds

它们会围绕土壤旋转， 这可能会使种子更好生长，

and [increase] the chances of them to grow into plants.

增加它们长成植物的机会。

These animals’ interactions can really reseed the forests,

这些动物的相互作用确实 可以为森林播种，

but we must preserve their habitats to increase their chances of survival.

但我们必须保护它们的栖息地， 以增加它们的生存机会。

When people ask me if forests can regrow without our help,

当人们问我，森林是否可以在没有 我们的帮助的情况下再生，

I say we always have to help,

我会说我们总是必须提供帮助，

even if it is just to get out of the way.

即使只是为了让开。

But another, more active way to help

但是，另一种更积极的帮助方式

is by leaving forest patches in the landscape.

是在景观中留下一片片森林。

Forest patches are something like VIP lounges

森林地带就像

for plants and animals,

植物和动物的贵宾休息室，

where critters can hop, skip and jump

小动物可以在那里蹦蹦跳跳，

from one leafy hot spot to another.

从一个绿树成荫的区域跳到另一个绿树成荫的区域。

And when they do that,

当它们这样做时，

they act like real gardeners, bringing back the forests.

它们就像真正的园丁一样， 把森林带回来。

And they need to do that

它们之所以需要这样做，

because the future of those forests is at stake.

因为这些森林的未来岌岌可危。

As scientists, we are concerned with deforestation and degradation.

作为科学家，我们关注 的是森林砍伐和退化。

Deforestation takes away those forests

砍伐森林夺走了

those animals are helping to plant for thousands of years.

动物们数千年来帮助种植的森林。

Degradation makes those forests less healthy,

退化使这些森林 变得不那么健康，

harboring fewer animals.

栖息的动物也更少。

I truly believe that those animals are trying to bring back the spring,

我真的相信，这些动物 仍在努力让春天恢复活力

despite all the efforts to stop them.

尽管它们的阻力很大。

So let me throw you some questions.

所以让我问你一些问题。

How powerful is the tapirs’ poop?

低地貘的便便有多强大？

How far can they travel?

他们能走多远？

How charming do my friends,

我的迷人的朋友们，

totally unconcerned with social conventions,

完全不关心 社会习俗，

need to be in order to revert the tipping point

需要多努力才能扭转

we are possibly about to reach?

我们可能即将达到的临界点？

My colleagues and I at the Woodwell Climate Research Center

我和在伍德韦尔 气候研究中心

and at the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia

和亚马逊 环境研究所的同事们

are trying to answer those questions,

正在努力回答这些问题，

but we already know some of the answers.

但我们已经知道了一些答案。

We know that the resilience of those ecosystems

我们知道， 这些生态系统的复原力

is on the diversity of plants and animals living there.

取决于生活在那里的 动植物的多样性。

Our future is intertwined with the future of those animals,

我们的未来 与这些动物的未来交织在一起，

and it depends on how good a job we do trying to protect them.

这取决于我们在保护它们 方面做得如何。

And people, I’m not afraid to say: our future lies in poop.

而各位，我不怕说： 我们的未来就在粪便中。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）