The view of humans as a blight on the environment is counterproductive in mobilizing people to take action on environmental issues. Whether we view ourselves as superior, inferior, or at the centre of nature, creating false dichotomies and pitting humans against nature will lead to negative consequences for all. It is difficult to generate enthusiasm for a movement that, even unintentionally, sees human extinction as a positive outcome. Instead, it is possible to restore the environment and halt the process of degradation if we recognize that humans and nature are interconnected.
It is always challenging to determine what is right from nature's point of view and act accordingly.
Ecosystem services aim to strike a balance between improving ecological integrity and promoting human well-being by pursuing multiple restoration goals across the landscape. This involves incorporating trees, people, species, diversity, and comprehensive planning to ensure all elements work harmoniously. The encouraging news is that there are several inspiring examples of successful restoration efforts to learn from, which have yielded transformative outcomes. As part of this learning process, I am particularly interested in exploring a tour site project.
Expanding forests, woodlands, and woody savannahs could potentially sequester approximately one-quarter of the atmospheric carbon required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
Our primary challenge is to persuade all stakeholders that the environmental agenda is crucial and cannot be neglected. We must determine if it ensures ecological stability and social justice and benefits all segments of society, leaving no one behind. Restoration efforts offer an excellent means of achieving these objectives.
