Natural Intelligence Worldwide

Healthy Forests Lie at the Heart of A Healthy Humanity

Justin Adams

Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance, World Economic Forum

In our rich and heart-centered conversation, Justin Adams, the NEW Director of the Tropical Forest Alliance at the World Economic Forum, speaks about our vital need for a new human narrative, where we remember our deep connection to nature, where we realize that we are not separate from the natural world, nor are we separate from one another.

In the same way, Pope Francis reminds us in Laudato Si that we have a stewardship responsibility to the natural world.

As well,  we have a human responsibility to one another to figure out ways for business, governments, communities to prosper and to regenerate our natural capital; while ensuring we don’t leave anyone behind. That’s a tall order, but partnership is the key.

The cultural transformation happening now is going to require that we create new radical forms of collaboration, that we expand our perceptions and physical boundaries for our human communities — to include “nature’s supply shed” of resources surrounding the city upon which we depend. These include the wetlands that filter and clean our water and the forests that filter and clean our air. And that’s not all.

Forests, for example, literally stand at the nexus of our biodiversity, climate, social justice challenges and forward-thinking, problem-solving discussions. Imagine, forests represent 1/3 of the climate solution by naturally drawing down carbon in its stem, needles, leaves, roots, and soil. Yet, forests receive only 1% of the attention that other energy solutions to climate change receive. Forests hold 80% of the terrestrial biodiversity found on earth. And, 1.6 billion people live in and are dependent on the forest ecosystem and natural marketplace of goods for survival.

Recognizing our dependence on nature to thrive as many indigenous cultures already know; may hold the key to remembering our stewardship responsibility to protect and conserve nature.