A Reforestation Revolution

Tree Sisters describes itself as “a global network of women who donate monthly to fund the restoration of our tropical forests as a collective expression of planetary care.”  TreeSisters partners with local environmental groups who then fund local women to grow, plant and protect trees in the tropics.  These tree planting jobs enable the women to take care of their families and communities so that everyone benefits.  I am a TreeSister and I recently got an exciting email about a new project in the Amazon rainforest.  I have copied the email here: This has been a long time coming; a dream held since the beginning of TreeSisters. Finally, we are supporting custodians of the Amazon rainforest to restore and protect their land and ecosystem. This has never felt more important, given everything that Indigenous Peoples are facing within the political chaos of Brazil. We are able to add this project because of you and your support. That means the world. Thank you so, so much for your commitment to our shared work. As a TreeSisters Restorer, we want to introduce you to this new project and share with you the positive impact your donations are having. We hope you find this email full of inspiring information.

Why we are funding planting in the Amazon rainforest The current situation in the Amazon is urgent. The world’s largest tropical forest is under pressure from irresponsible development, deforestation and fires. The Ashaninka’s indigenous territory is one of the last remaining tropical Intact Forest Landscapes on Earth, and one of the most biodiverse areas of the Amazon. It is important for TreeSisters to support a project which enables the guardians of the forest to keep the forest intact, whilst supporting the exemplary life they yearn to live. The Ashaninka started replanting 14 years ago; they know what is needed and they know how to do it. Support from TreeSisters will enable them to become more economically self-sufficient and resilient, in the face of pressure for land and economic interests.

Top and bottom left, far right photos by Aquaverde

The positive impact your donations will have in Amazonia One of the Ashaninka’s spiritual leaders, Shaman Benki Piyako, designed the forest garden project that TreeSisters supports. The project will provide a sustainable, nutritious lifestyle for over 1,000 indigenous people and non-indigenous locals living in Marechal Thaumaturgo. The forest garden spans 10 hectares of deforested land. The goal is to plant 50,000 native fruit trees from 2020 to 2022. Funding this project will directly create reforestation jobs, and provide agroforestry training for 70 people. In addition, an awareness program will be set up that will include Indigenous People from other parts of the Amazon and non-indigenous surrounding communities. Ultimately, the trees planted in this project will improve the lives and health of the surrounding communities, help to sustain the Ashaninka's cultural, traditional and spiritual values while reducing deforestation in the Amazon. I came across a video from a Listening Session in England (in a different email) that featured among others, Shaman Benki Piyako who designed the forest garden project.  You can hear him speaking here: Through working together and sharing our resources, projects such as these become possible.  It is fairly easy to set up a monthly donation which allows TreeSisters to make partnerships with people in other parts of the world.  You can also make a one time donation.  It is like the mother trees in the forest sharing resources through the fungal network in the forest floor to support the younger trees.  In certain parts of the world, women have financial resources.  Through the network of the internet, we can share those resources with people far away so that they can reforest areas that in fact support the whole world with oxygen while they take carbon out of the air, thus supporting the climate.  A number of extremely dedicated people are building these networks and making it easy for us to participate.  There is something that can be done to give back to Earth, to be reciprocal, to be restorative.  Check out more stories or become a Tree Sisters  and be a part of this new story.