Ecosystem technology (ecotech): Harnessing natural processes to address global challenges Science Advances

Over the past 80 years, biotechnology has advanced agriculture, health care, and economic development by harnessing biological processes from the organism inward, i.e., from the organ system to the molecular scale. Today’s global challenges, including biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution, demand a complementary technological expansion inspired by processes operating from the organism outward, i.e., at the levels of populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. Here, we present the components of this technological expansion through ecosystem technology, or ecotech. We propose a framework for ecotech to integrate elements of ecology, engineering, and earth science and to function as a practical and conceptual convergence accelerator. Ecotech will advance critical environmental solutions by uniting independently evolving technologies, generating diverse fields of inquiry (e.g., ecomimicry, ecosystem materials science, ecosystem sensing and signaling), and inspiring innovation. To harness this innovation to improve nature restoration, carbon storage, water quality, ecosystem energy, and infrastructure resistance to disasters, ecotech is guided by cross-cutting actions to ensure scalability, equity, and accountability. When integrated into strategies across nongovernmental organizations, business, and governments, ecotech offers a pathway to advance climate adaptation, biodiversity recovery, and economic diversification and growth. By uniting ecology, engineering, and earth sciences at scale, ecotech transforms technology into a tool to confront humanity’s most urgent existential needs and secure a livable future.