In 2022, I visited a degraded site in Dundori and witnessed the community's efforts to restore an area larger than Hyde Park, covering the hillsides with fresh seedlings – each of them was about knee-high at the time.

We drove to the edge of the national forest in search of these trees planted back in 1956. And then, suddenly, we found them—majestic East African camphor trees, towering above us. Native to the region but increasingly threatened, these trees are known as “elephant medicine”.

For over a century, a golden thread has run through our work – putting communities at the heart of restoration. We know that when we work hand in hand with local communities, supporting their vision for their landscapes, we see lasting change on the ground.

Your support is the foundation of a special partnership, one that brings together nature lovers, concerned citizens, local grassroots organisations, experts, and visionary communities. Together, we are helping to bring landscapes back to life.

James reflects on the dazzling beauty of fleeting autumn colours.

Forests and habitats around the world are being devastated by the phenomenon known as the “tragedy of the commons”.  

I wish you could visit these areas and witness first-hand the transformation taking place. You would see the forests regenerating and farmers harvesting mangoes from trees they planted with ITF.

To protect nature effectively, we need to spend time in its healing presence.

Read the open letter and discussion paper, compiled from contributions made by attendees of the Beyond Offsets roundtable at University of Oxford, 21st June 2024.

We take our responsibility for thriving trees very seriously! With rigorous planning and monitoring, we ensure our saplings become strong, healthy, life-giving trees.

If you take a trip by plane there is often the choice to ‘offset’ the carbon emitted by your flight. But are these carbon credits actually doing good? And is there a better way?

It’s currently the rainy season in East Africa and planting and restoration activities are in full swing. Joshua, Edwin, Korir, Mercy and Wycliffe have been spending a lot of time visiting all of the projects, away from their families.

Trees pre-date us spectacularly. Not only have they stood through the seasons while kingdoms have risen and fallen, they have survived from before the rise of the dinosaur to long past their extinction.

This month I travelled to Kenya to visit the communities and local organisations with whom we are working and to spend time with our amazing local team to see the impact of our work on the ground.

Some organisations focus on dealing with carbon – the cause of the climate crisis. Others deal with the consequences – working to support climate-vulnerable communities. ITF is responding to both. 

The question is how we can bend the graph quickly? How many species can we save? And how can we mitigate the impacts for those who will suffer the most?

We listened to families and leaders and two things struck me most powerfully – the desire of the Batwa to maintain their connection with their ancient traditions and their determination to find a way forward in the toughest of circumstances.

“We are often looking at the big picture, seeing landscapes being steadily restored. We see the forests and the woods but we also care about the individual tree.”

Summer ebbs away, the evenings begin to draw in and it won’t be long before the clocks change. And so the tree planting season gets under way.

“As I perch here quietly on a fallen log I feel a gentle internal shift towards organic time. It is a peaceful summer’s day in the forest, the sun shining through the oak and beech canopy.”