The Foundation

At Forestry For All, the action research agenda emphasises participation, justice and the validity of different types of knowledge. Instead of positioning as experts who ‘know better’ we enter our domains of action aware of the limits to our understanding. The many traditional communities in the biogeographical regions we operate in (primarily in South India) have been the historical custodians of rich, indigenous knowledge of a socio-ecological nature. In the numerous practices and oral traditions, we see dynamic processes that create critical situated knowledge. In our work, we are deeply respectful of traditional communities, and seek to dialogue meaningfully with indigenous systems.

A central aspect of our action research agenda is to weave different systems of knowing and being to create better socio-ecological futures. This is reflected in our focus on ethnoforestry, community forestry and agroforestry.

The main objectives our agenda is to explore new organisational forms and structural mechanisms that can enable people to address better the issue of human-nature disconnection, and collaborate better to realise more holistic, equitable and sustainable ideas of development.

The idea of ‘tree walks’ is not uncommon. However, our idea of engaging with floral biodiversity is more than merely identifying species or ‘consuming’ information. To know our natural environment we must interact with it – by means of touch, smell, taste and creative action. Our Ethno-Botany Tours and other awareness programs are designed so that participants experience a closer connection to the natural world, instead of spectating from a distance. Tailor-made to suit different audiences, our Tours are often delivered within our action research sites, so that participants get a glimpse of deeper engagement.

Our Field Skills Integration targets university & college programs in biological, environmental or forestry sciences. It is meant to provide practical field exposure to Bachelor’s or Master’s students of botany, zoology, forestry, ecology and related fields. As part of this endeavour, we also assist students in their theses / academic projects. Our hope is that with a little nudging from us, they may begin to lay the foundations for a future body of work that is both locally important and globally relevant.