Meet the Tapirs: Guiding Our Next Learning for Action Cohort

Meet the Tapirs: Why the "Gardeners of the Forest" are Guiding Our Next Climate Cohort

Since its very first days, the Terra.do Learning for Action (LFA) fellowship has carried a tradition. Every new cohort is named for a threatened or endangered species; a living reminder that our work is fundamentally tied to the natural world, its incredible resilience, its delicate fragility, and its uncertain fate. Following in the footsteps of the Sea Turtles, Monarchs, Red Wolves and many others from before, we are honoured to welcome the Tapirs.

This name, like those before it, was chosen with care. It is not a mascot. It is a reflection of the kind of work we believe in—work that is grounded, impactful, and vital for the health of our planet. And when you learn about the ancient, gentle tapir, you’ll see how their story resonates with the mission of our next cohort.

A Quiet Architect of a Healthy Planet

Often mistaken anteaters, tapirs are actually relatives of horses and rhinos. They are true "living fossils," ancient mammals that have navigated our planet since the Eocene epoch, surviving multiple waves of extinction where other animals vanished. But their most vital role is one of quiet, profound impact. Tapirs are known as the "gardeners of the forest".

As they roam, they eat a huge variety of fruits and plants—sometimes more than 200 species—and spread the seeds through their droppings, helping the forest regenerate. Crucially, they are one of the few species large enough to disperse the seeds of slow-growing, dense-wood trees, the very trees that are most effective at sequestering and storing carbon. This makes the tapir one of our planet’s most heroic, and unheralded, allies in combating climate change.

This single role highlights the complex, interconnected nature of ecosystems. In Learning for Action, this is a central theme. During Week 6, for instance, fellows engage with the En-ROADS simulation tool, which helps visualise how changes in one sector—like land use and forestry—have cascading effects across the entire climate system. The tapir is a living example of these delicate system dynamics, and its decline triggers disruptions in key ecological processes that compromise the long-term integrity of the forest.

An Ancient Lineage Facing Modern Threats

Despite being tough survivors for millions of years, all four tapir species are now at risk, classified as either Vulnerable or Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Their populations have declined by over 50% in recent decades, a rate directly proportional to the depletion of tropical rainforests. The primary causes are human activity, exacerbated by a changing climate.

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: This is the greatest threat. Widespread deforestation for agriculture and palm oil plantations is destroying their homes, leaving small, isolated subpopulations vulnerable to inbreeding and genetic decline. Some fragmented groups, numbering as few as three to five individuals, have been deemed "functionally extinct".
Climate Change: The Malayan tapir, for example, is restricted to humid, tropical forests and cannot survive in regions with pronounced dry seasons—conditions that climate change threatens to alter. As we explore in Week 3 of LFA, understanding global impacts like changing temperature and rainfall patterns is key to grasping how species survival is linked to a stable climate.
Human-Wildlife Conflict: As habitats shrink, tapirs wander onto farms, leading to conflict with humans. Roads cutting through their territory also lead to high numbers of deaths from vehicle collisions, a problem strongly correlated with nearby plantation development.

Because of their large size and slow reproductive rate—a single baby after a 13-14 month pregnancy—tapir populations struggle to recover once they decline. Their struggle is a quiet but urgent signal of an ecosystem in distress.

Becoming Gardeners of a Different Kind

The tapir’s role as a forest gardener is a powerful metaphor for the work we must undertake. Like the tapir, our actions can have far-reaching, regenerative effects. We must also become gardeners—cultivating solutions, nurturing new growth, and strengthening the ecosystems of our communities and economies.

This is the spirit of the Learning for Action (LFA) fellowship. It’s a 12-week, expert-guided journey designed to help you find your role in the climate landscape. For thousands of professionals, it has been the place to transform their skills and passion into meaningful impact. LFA is where you:

Understand the System: To protect species like the tapir, we need to understand the economic and political drivers of deforestation. LFA’s curriculum dives into this with over 100 modules on everything from the economics of climate change and carbon pricing to corporate sustainability. You gain the structured knowledge needed to work on solutions that matter.
Find Your Path: The challenge can feel overwhelming, but LFA provides mental models to evaluate and compare different approaches to the climate crisis, helping you find your place. With tailored career support, one-on-one mentorship, and a global community, we help you define how to apply your unique skills.
Build a Resilient Community: You are not alone on this journey. You will learn alongside a global cohort and be guided by over a thousand alumni and mentors who are already taking climate action. This community provides the support and network to accelerate your transition and maintain the "stubborn persistence" climate work requires.

Our fellows don’t just learn; they act. They go on to found climate companies, drive sustainability goals within their organisations, transition to dream jobs, and build local initiatives. Just as the tapir persistently shapes its environment, LFA fellows are equipped to shape a more sustainable future.

Join the Tapirs

The tapir reminds us that individual roles, even quiet ones, can be essential to the health of the whole system. It shows us that patient, persistent action can regenerate the world around us. And its vulnerability underscores the urgency of our work.

We are now building the Tapirs cohort—a community ready to become "gardeners" for the planet. If you’re looking for a space to learn the skills, find your community, and take action alongside others who believe in the power of regenerative work, we invite you to join us.

Together, we can cultivate the knowledge, community, and courage needed to help our world regenerate and thrive.