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Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement

Join me, Prof Wayne Visser, for inspiring conversations with leaders in the breakthrough movement to regenerate nature, society and the economy. Thriving is about going beyond sustainability to a net positive agenda of innovation and regeneration. Each episode is a dialogue with thought leaders and pioneering practitioners, capturing their perspective on the six great transitions to thriving: how to go from degradation to restoration of ecosystems, from depletion to renewal of resources, from disparity to responsibility in communities and workplaces, from disease to revitalisation of health, from disconnection to rewiring through technology, and from disruption to resilience in infrastructure and institutions. We also explore what kind of leadership are needed to create a thriving future, and how organisations can take action to integrate thriving into their strategies, products and services. This is not about false hope or blind optimism, but we actively focus on innovative solutions and positive tipping points for change. The podcast builds on the foundations of my bestselling book "Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy." I look forward to having you join the movement for thriving and welcome your suggestions for who I should feature as invited guests on the podcast. Credits: Host: Wayne Visser. Podcast music: Amil Raja

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Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement

S3.E4: Paying Nature's Invoice: Unlocking the $145 Trillion Ecoservices Economy

August 06, 2026 • Wayne Visser • Season 3 • Episode 4

0:00 | 26:17

Episode 4 is based on "Restoration" (Chapter 3).

Core Theme: Moving from the "crime of ecocide" to an economy that actively restores nature.

The Ecoservices Economy: Valuing nature's "invisible" contributions—like water purification and pollination—which are estimated to be worth $125 to $145 trillion per year, more than twice the measured global economy.

Rewilding and Keystone Species: A look at how the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone triggered "trophic cascades" that brought entire ecosystems—from river shapes to bird populations—back to life.

Arboreal Superheroes: Exploring the Trillion-Tree Challenge and "rainmakers" like the Brazil nut tree, which moves 3.5 bathtubs of water into the atmosphere every day.

Regenerative Agriculture: Moving from "sterile dirt" back to living soil using techniques like biochar and ancient Aztec chinampas to lock away billions of tons of carbon.

The Blue Carbon Revolution: Why marine biomes like seagrass and kelp are our best hope, fixing carbon at 35 times the rate of tropical rain forests

Season 3 is an experiment. It features an AI-generated dialogue that deep dives into each chapter of the book, Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy. Let me know what you think!