John D. Liu

As a General Advisor and inspirational thought leader for the Dryland Solutions Community, John has been a steadfast supporter of Yasmin Mohamud since the beginning.  Born in 1953 in Nashville, Tennessee, John Dennis Liu is a Chinese American filmmaker and ecologist, as well as a researcher affiliated with several institutions. In January 2015, John was appointed a Visiting Fellow at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO) of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.  John Liu produced, wrote, and directed "The Lessons of the Loess Plateau." This film narrates the remarkable story of how scientists, in collaboration with local farmers in one of the planet's most eroded regions, reversed thousands of years of environmental degradation caused by human and natural actions.  In 2013, John received the Communications Award from the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). "Green Gold," a film about his work produced by VPRO, won a Prix Italia award. His film “Hope in a Changing Climate” was recognized as the best ecosystem film by the International Wildlife Film Festival and received several other accolades.  John has dedicated his life to understanding and communicating the potential and responsibility of restoring degraded landscapes on a global scale since realizing the feasibility of rehabilitating large-scale damaged ecosystems. Since 2009, he has collaborated with Willem Ferwerda, Founder and CEO of the Commonland Foundation, which is spearheading privately funded large-scale restoration projects worldwide. John is also the founder of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps movement, initiated in 2016. This movement has expanded to over 40 camps across six continents and continues to grow. Additionally, John frequently travels and collaborates with individuals and institutions in various countries.