If Nature were to draw a map of the world what would it look like? We’ve grown accustomed to seeing the world divided into 195 countries, but there is another way to see, and better understand, the planet we call home. One Earth presents a novel biogeographical framework called Bioregions 2020, which builds upon the world’s 846 terrestrial ecoregional divisions (Dinerstein et al. 2017) to delineate 185 discrete bioregions. Two years in development, with input from an array of field scientists, conservation experts, and geographers, the Bioregions 2020 framework offers a novel biogeographical approach to transnational conservation and land use planning, encouraging systems thinking across silos and administrative boundaries. The bioregions are also useful in as an educational tool, helping individuals to better understand the underlying ecological fabric of life that surrounds them. Lastly, Bioregions 2020 provides a framework to support grantmaking and scientific research across a group of related ecosystems.
Project Marketplace
On-the-ground climate solutions are key to solving the climate crisis, but they’re critically underfunded. The beta version of our project marketplace connects philanthropic capital to place-based initiatives that contribute directly towards the collective goal of staying below 1.5°C in global average temperature rise.
BROWSE PROJECTSThe 185 bioregions are organized by the eight major realms, the broadest division of the Earth's land surface within which ecosystems and groupings of organisms share a common evolutionary history. These roughly correspond to the major continents of the Earth but are further subdivided to delineate major climatic zones that are more familiar. For example, the Neotropical realm is divided into Central America and Southern America. One Earth uses these realm divisions – 14 in total – as a framework to showcase important projects around the world that are contributing to the creation of a just and vibrant future for all. Click on a realm below to explore projects in each region.
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Subarctic America
Subarctic America covers most of Canada and Alaska and is the northern section of one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – the Nearctic – containing 9 bioregions in total.
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Northern America
Northern America is the lower section of one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – the Nearctic – which spans from southern Canada to northern Mexico.
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Central America
Central America is the upper section of one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – the Neotropical – with 6 bioregions in total.
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Southern America
Southern America covers most of the Neotropical realm -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – with 23 bioregions in total.
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Afrotropics
The Afrotropics, corresponding roughly with Sub-Saharan Africa, make up one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms and contain 24 bioregions in total.
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Subarctic Eurasia
Subarctic Eurasia covers most of the land mass of Russia and the Nordic countries – Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Finland – and makes up the northern section of one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – the Palearctic – containing 8 bioregions in total.
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Eastern Eurasia
Eastern Eurasia is the easternmost section of the Palearctic -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – with 17 bioregions in total.
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Central Eurasia
Central Eurasia is the interior section of the Palearctic -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – with 8 bioregions in total.
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Western Eurasia
Western Eurasia covers most of Europe and is the westernmost section of the Palearctic -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – with 13 bioregions in total.
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Southern Eurasia
Southern Eurasia corresponds roughly with the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region and is the southernmost section of the Palearctic -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms – with 5 bioregions in total.
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Indomalaya
The Indomalayan realm is one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms, with 18 bioregions in total.
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Australasia
The Australian continent dominates this realm -- one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms -- with 15 bioregions in total.
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Antarctica
Antarctica, one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms, is made up almost entirely of one single bioregion -- the ice-covered land mass, coastal tundra, and sea ice of the main continent -- which is nearly twice the size of Australia.
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Oceania
Oceania is one of the world’s eight major biogeographical realms with 11 island bioregions spanning across the Pacific Ocean, including Polynesia, Micronesia, and Hawaii.
The Global Safety Net
The first global-scale analysis of land areas requiring protection to solve the twin crises of biodiversity and climate change, upholding and strengthening Indigenous land rights.
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