Peter Beckett is a restoration ecologist and associate professor in the Biology Department at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. He earned a PhD in peatland ecology from Kings College in the United Kingdom and worked on the restoration of industrially disturbed lands in South Wales before arriving in Sudbury and accepting a job as a professor at Laurentian University in 1976.
In this video, Dr. Beckett describes the devastated landscape of the Sudbury area that greeted him on his arrival and the role he played in the regreening project that began in 1978 when community leaders realized that something had to be done to improve the landscape and the city’s reputation to attract newcomers and investment to the city.
Over four plus decades of regreening efforts, Dr. Beckett and his colleagues on the Vegetation Enhancement Technical Advisory Committee (VETAC) have overseen the planting of 10 million trees and restored 3,450 hectares (8,525 acres) of once barren land, relying on the so-called Sudbury protocol recipe of limestone, fertilizer and grass seed.
Dr. Beckett reveals some of the challenges he and his colleagues encountered along the way and shares what he has learned about working together with others, establishing partnerships, and staying positive in the face of setbacks.
While there is still much more to do beyond the high visibility areas that have been restored, the Sudbury landscape today is once again lush and green – so much so that school children today have no memory of the former devastated landscape.
The regreening project has positioned Sudbury as a model for restoring industrially damaged lands around the world. Dr. Beckett and his colleagues at Laurentian University have been invited to share their knowledge and experience in China, Russia and South America and a Mining and Environment International Conference brings delegates from around the world to Sudbury every four years.