How Poop Turns Into Forests | Ludmila Rattis | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Shelley Tsang 曾雯海

When I was a child growing up in Brazil,

小時候在巴西長大時，

我玩的一個遊戲是赤腳踩上牛糞，

I would play by stepping on cow's poop barefoot

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

去感受被消化的有機物質穿過 我腳趾間時有多溫暖和柔軟。

going through my toes.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

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

但對我的家人來說，動物 排泄物有另一層的重要性。

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

我祖母會把糞肥賣掉， 把錢分給我媽媽。

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

我媽媽是要養育四個孩子的 家庭主婦，那是她唯一的收入，

raising her four children,

while my father worked in our farm.

我父親則在我們的農場裡工作。

That's my grandma.

那是我祖母。

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

就在那個農場裡，

我祖父突然靈機一動，

Instead of ordinary fences,

不用普通的籬笆，

he carved out some ditches surrounded by trees,

他開鑿出一些溝渠， 周圍圍繞著樹木，

creating forest corridors for animals to cross.

創造出讓動物通行的森林走廊。

It was like Mother Nature's highway system,

就像是大自然的高速公路系統，

allowing critters to commute from one leafy paradise to another.

讓動物可以在不同的 綠蔭天堂之間往返。

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

我媽媽一直不希望我 靠動物排泄物來維生。

My grandpa did not know he was increasing the landscape connectivity

我祖父不知道他是在增加地景 連通性，讓動物可以通行，

for animals to cross,

but they were both working on nature-based solutions

但在以自然為本的解決方案 成為流行的用語之前，

before the term became trendy.

他們就在做了。

Two aspects of ecosystem restoration:

恢復生態系統的兩個面向：

投資土壤肥力，

investing in soil fertility

and increasing the landscape connectivity.

以及增加地景連通性。

Bringing back the nutrients,

把營養物帶回來，

bringing back the forests:

把森林帶回來：

both with positive consequences for the entire system.

兩者都對整個系統有正面的影響。

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

我相信每一盤食物背後 都應該有個健康的生態系統。

So today, as a scientist,

因此，如今，身為科學家，

我的角色是去了解如何生產食物，

my role is to understand how to produce food

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

同時讓動物在這個不斷變化的 世界中增加生態系統的韌性。

So I started where those changes are happening,

我從這些變化正在 發生的地方開始著手：

in the tropics, in Brazil,

熱帶地區、巴西、

in the Amazonia.

亞馬遜地區。

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

在那裡，在熱帶森林的荒野，

the tropical South America,

在熱帶南美洲，

that beholds the star of our tale:

可以看到我們故事主角：

the lowland tapir.

低地貘（南美貘）。

Those pig-like creatures grace the landscape from the Amazonia

這些像豬的生物讓從亞馬遜地區 到潘塔納爾的地景變得更優美。

to the Pantanal.

Aren't they cute?

他們很可愛吧？

(Audience murmuring)

（觀眾低語）

When it comes to big animals,

就大型動物來說，

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

牠們通常會吃大量的 低能量食物，如葉子。

But tapirs are different.

但低地貘不同。

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

牠們的飲食有高達 36% 都是以水果為基礎，

and they have a very long digestive system.

且牠們的消化系統非常長。

And they love to go for a walk.

且牠們喜歡散步。

So let's picture that.

所以，咱們來想像一下。

They go for a walk.

牠們去散步。

牠們在路上找到水果，

They find fruits along the way,

they eat them while they process.

牠們吃掉這些水果並開始消化。

And they keep walking in degraded areas,

牠們繼續在退化的地區散步，

and eventually they poop.

最後，牠們大便了。

And when they poop, they help to spread the seeds

當牠們大便時，

牠們就是在幫牠們 愛吃的水果散播種子。

in the fruits they love to eat.

Tapirs are big, tapirs are tough,

低地貘很大隻，很強悍，

and tapirs poop ... a lot.

且很會大便。

And how do I know that?

我怎麼會知道？

因為我在亞馬遜地區 東南部的研究站工作，在那裡，

Because at the research station that I work on,

at the Southeast Amazonia,

among many other things, we wash poop.

我們會做很多事，包括清洗大便。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

我們走到森林裡去找牠們的排泄區，

We walk in the forest looking for their latrines,

and latrines are something like a toilet

排泄區就像廁所，但沒有便盆，

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

只有很多大便堆在一起。

We find them, collect, wash,

我們找到大便，收集起來，洗乾淨，

count and identify as many seeds as possible.

計數，並盡可能辨識出裡面的種子。

In one dung, we find on average 733 seeds

平均在一團糞便中可以發現 七百三十三個種子，

belonging to up to 24 different species.

屬於多達二十四種不同的物種。

We can see hundreds of seedlings emerging from one dung.

我們可以看到一團糞便 冒出數百株幼苗。

And they can become trees, big trees.

且它們可以長成樹木，大樹。

And because large-seeded trees tend to be deep rooted

因為種子很大的樹通常 有比較深的根且比較耐旱，

and drought resistant,

those seed dispersers are helping to create a tree community

這些種子散播者在協助創造 一個有韌性和抗性的樹木群落。

that’s resilient and resistant.

But sometimes, as you can see,

但，如各位所見，有時，

tapirs poop too many seeds in one place,

低地貘在同一個地方拉出太多種子，

leading to competition among the seedlings.

導致幼苗之間的競爭。

So other animals come in to help, luckily.

幸運的是，有其他動物會來幫忙。

Some of those animals [are] the dung beetle.

其中之一是蜣螂。

Dung beetles help to disperse the seeds throughout the forest.

蜣螂協助將種子散播到森林各處。

會散播種子的蜣螂有兩種：

There are two kinds of dung beetles dispersing seeds:

rollers and tunnelers.

滾糞球的和挖地道的。

Rollers roll the poop away from the source

滾糞球的蜣螂會將糞便從源頭滾走，

and bury it underground,

將它們埋在地下，

while tunnelers bury the poop right by the source.

而挖地道的蜣螂 會將糞便埋在源頭附近。

When they bury the seeds,

當牠們埋下種子時，

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

牠們會繞著土壤轉，可能 會讓土壤更適合種子，

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

增加種子長大成為植物的機會。

These animals’ interactions can really reseed the forests,

這些動物的互動

真的有助於在森林中重新播種，

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

但我們必須保護牠們的棲息地，

增加牠們的生存機會。

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

當有人問我，若我們不出手幫忙， 森林是否能夠重新生長？

I say we always have to help,

我會說我們一定得幫忙，

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

即使只是別阻礙也是一種幫忙。

But another, more active way to help

但有另一種更積極的方法可以幫忙，

is by leaving forest patches in the landscape.

就是在地景中留下森林區塊。

Forest patches are something like VIP lounges

森林區塊就像

植物和動物用的 VIP 休息室，

for plants and animals,

where critters can hop, skip and jump

它們讓動物可以在 綠蔭熱點之間跳來跳去，

from one leafy hot spot to another.

And when they do that,

當牠們這麼做時，

they act like real gardeners, bringing back the forests.

牠們就像真正的園丁，

把森林帶回來。

And they need to do that

牠們得要這麼做， 因為這攸關森林的未來。

because the future of those forests is at stake.

As scientists, we are concerned with deforestation and degradation.

身為科學家，我們很關注 森林砍伐和退化。

Deforestation takes away those forests

森林砍伐會破壞掉

那些動物花了數千年 協助種植的森林。

those animals are helping to plant for thousands of years.

Degradation makes those forests less healthy,

退化則會讓森林變得更不健康，

harboring fewer animals.

能棲息在其中的動物就會變少。

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

我真心相信，這些動物

在試圖把春天帶回來， 儘管遇到各種阻礙。

despite all the efforts to stop them.

讓我問各位一些問題。

So let me throw you some questions.

How powerful is the tapirs’ poop?

低地貘的大便有多強大？

How far can they travel?

牠們能走多遠？

How charming do my friends,

把社會規範擺一邊， 我的朋友們需要有多迷人，

totally unconcerned with social conventions,

need to be in order to revert the tipping point

才能逆轉這個我們可能 會達到的關鍵轉折點？

we are possibly about to reach?

My colleagues and I at the Woodwell Climate Research Center

我和我在伍德威爾氣候研究中心

and at the Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia

及亞馬遜環境研究所的同事

are trying to answer those questions,

在試圖回答上述問題，

but we already know some of the answers.

但我們已經知道部分答案了。

We know that the resilience of those ecosystems

我們知道這些生態系統的韌性

is on the diversity of plants and animals living there.

取決於生活在其中的 植物和動物的多樣性。

Our future is intertwined with the future of those animals,

我們的未來與那些動物的 未來交織在一起，

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

我們的未來取決於 我們能把牠們保護得多好。

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

各位，我敢大聲說：

我們的未來就靠大便了。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）