What is the forest?

Climate journalists in Europe and North America often write about the forest as merely a resource or something that can be quantified; how much carbon it absorbs or biodiversity it contains, or how much of it has been destroyed, measured in football pitches. But what if the forest is your home or a part of you?

“For us, the forest is a family, it is a mother, a brother, a father,” said Alessandra Korap Munduruku, leader of the Munduruku people in Brazil and winner of the Goldman Environmental prize for grassroots activism.

Her sentiment is echoed over 17,000 km away in Indonesia by Simon Petrus Balagaize: “The forest is like a mother, father and child.” From the 100 people interviewed we heard that the forest is variously a supermarket, temple, pharmacy, cathedral, hardware store, spiritual home and the foundation of collective identity. Richard Bokatola from the DRC called it “first and foremost my cradle”. Almost a third of people interviewed said the forest is life. For several, it wasn’t possible to describe the ‘forest’ as something separate from themselves.

Mariana Rodríguez Gonzales, 40 from Bolivia
Mariana Rodríguez Gonzales, 40
Yaminahua, Bolivia
The forest is our home. It gives us food, it gives us life, air, everything, right?
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Mariana Rodríguez Gonzales, 40 from Bolivia
Mariana Rodríguez Gonzales, 40
Yaminahua, Bolivia
The forest is our home. It's like a house where we feel good. I don't know how to say it, but the forest represents something very sacred, very important to us. Because that's where we were born, that's where we grew up, we continue to live on it, it gives us food, it gives us life, air, everything, right?
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Luene Karipuna, 26 from Brazil
Luene Karipuna, 26
Karipuna, Brazil
The forest is not something separate from us, it is part of us.
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Luene Karipuna, 26 from Brazil
Luene Karipuna, 26
Karipuna, Brazil
I come from a traditional family of shamans, and I grew up with my grandfather taking me and my siblings to the sacred places. And with that, he always said that the forest is not something separate from us, it is part of us.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Maickson Pavulagem, 33 from Brazil
Maickson Pavulagem, 33
Brazil
Our territory, our life, everything depends on it being there, connected. It’s as if we were Siamese twins, and separation isn’t possible
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Maickson Pavulagem, 33 from Brazil
Maickson Pavulagem, 33
Brazil
Forest means backyard, you know? It’s very present, very connected to our experience, our survival, our daily life. So I don’t see it as separate—body, forest. Our territory, our life, everything depends on it being there, connected. It’s as if we were Siamese twins, and separation isn’t possible
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Fabiano Awá Mitan, 39 from Brazil
Fabiano Awá Mitan, 39
Tupi-guarani, Brazil
We must ask permission before entering the forest, because we know other beings live there, and that spirituality is present as well.
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Fabiano Awá Mitan, 39 from Brazil
Fabiano Awá Mitan, 39
Tupi-guarani, Brazil
The forest is our home, our mother, our strength. It is from her that we take our food, our medicine, our knowledge, and our spirituality. We must ask permission before entering the forest, because we know other beings live there, and that spirituality is present as well. This respect shows that there is no separation between the people and the territory.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Milena Kukama, 65 from Brazil
Milena Kukama, 65
Kukama, Brazil
The forest is my body. I cannot live without my body. When this body no longer exists, we no longer exist. It has already returned home. And the forest, it is our life.
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Milena Kukama, 65 from Brazil
Milena Kukama, 65
Kukama, Brazil
The forest is my body. I cannot live without my body. When this body no longer exists, we no longer exist. It has already returned home. And the forest, it is our life. Without the forest, without Mother Earth, without our biome, there is no life. There is no hope. Much less a future. Because we do not breathe gold. We do not breathe tree dust. Much less oil.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Zully Nayibe Rivera, 33 from Colombia
Zully Nayibe Rivera, 33
Nasa, Colombia
In every space, what we have been taught is rather the word territory or territoriality or mother earth, which is what gives us everything. It is not as if we separate them, as they say in ecosystems.
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Zully Nayibe Rivera, 33 from Colombia
Zully Nayibe Rivera, 33
Nasa, Colombia
In every space, what we have been taught is rather the word territory or territoriality or mother earth, which is what gives us everything. It is not as if we separate them, as they say in ecosystems. Those are words from outside, which have been spoken now, right? From that word "environment," which separates many into determinants, such as biodiversity. It's not like we see it that way.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Patricia Suárez Torres, 37 from Colombia
Patricia Suárez Torres, 37
Murui, Colombia
For us, the territory is everything. It is life itself. It is what we know and where we come from, and where we learned to love who we are.
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Patricia Suárez Torres, 37 from Colombia
Patricia Suárez Torres, 37
Murui, Colombia
For us, the territory is everything. It is life itself. It is what we know and where we come from, and where we learned to love who we are and those with whom we share our places and spaces. It is not just a question of landscape, it is not a question of actors separate from humans, it is part of ourselves. That is what the forests are.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Rosalía León Marín, 39 from Colombia
Rosalía León Marín, 39
Tatuyo, Colombia
Well, for me and my people, the forest represents life, our life. It is what gives us life, what guides us in how to live, how to care for things, how to maintain them.
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Rosalía León Marín, 39 from Colombia
Rosalía León Marín, 39
Tatuyo, Colombia
Well, for me and my people, the forest represents life, our life. It is what gives us life, what guides us in how to live, how to care for things, how to maintain them. It is very important for us as indigenous peoples to preserve that forest.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Joseph Itwonga, from DRC
Joseph Itwonga
Bambuti, DRC
The forest is part of the soul of indigenous peoples. We defend it because when we lose it, we lose part of the foundations of life, of identity.
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Joseph Itwonga, from DRC
Joseph Itwonga
Bambuti, DRC
The forest is part of the soul of indigenous peoples. The identity of indigenous peoples has a real and living foundation and that is the forest. We feel safe because we are in the forest. We don't defend it as as a resource that others consider to be an economic resource that can be exploited. We defend it because when we lose it, we lose part of the foundations of life, of identity.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Richard Bokatola, from DRC
Richard Bokatola
Territoire Kiri/ province Mai-Ndombe, DRC
The forest is first and foremost my cradle.
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Richard Bokatola, from DRC
Richard Bokatola
Territoire Kiri/ province Mai-Ndombe, DRC
The forest is first and foremost my cradle. And for my community, the forest provides everything we need: medicine, food, our livelihood, because, as you know, we live in the forest and everything around it.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Simon Petrus Balagaize, 42 from Indonesia
Simon Petrus Balagaize, 42
Malin-Anin, Indonesia
For the Malin-Anin Indigenous community, the forest is like a mother, father and child. They provide for one another and sustain life together. Spirit and soul are deeply connected within it.
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Simon Petrus Balagaize, 42 from Indonesia
Simon Petrus Balagaize, 42
Malin-Anin, Indonesia
For the Malin-Anin Indigenous community, the forest is like a mother, father and child. They provide for one another and sustain life together. Spirit and soul are deeply connected within it. If the “mother” is destroyed – the forest destroyed, the land destroyed – then life itself will also be destroyed.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Mindahi Bastida, from Mexico
Mindahi Bastida
Otomí-Toltec, Mexico
We understand the natural world as an extension of ourselves…we acknowledge that the material world is the reflection of the spiritual world…the wetlands and the forest around are family.
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Mindahi Bastida, from Mexico
Mindahi Bastida
Otomí-Toltec, Mexico
We understand the natural world as an extension of ourselves. With the Otemi-Toltec people, we acknowledge that the material world is also backed up [by], or is the reflection of the spiritual world. So that's why the wetlands and the forest around are family.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Liz Chicaje, 42 from Peru
Liz Chicaje, 42
Bora, Peru
The forest offers us all the connectivity we have between humanity and all the potential in terms of medicine, food sources, and all the experiences we have.
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Liz Chicaje, 42 from Peru
Liz Chicaje, 42
Bora, Peru
The forest offers us all the connectivity we have between humanity and all the potential in terms of medicine, food sources, and all the experiences we have. The forest is also a source of life. It is the birthplace of the Puquios, the headwaters of the rivers and everything else they offer over time, generating the great rivers and collecting all the fresh water found in the Amazon.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Fernando Alvarado, 67 from Peru
Fernando Alvarado, 67
Murui, Peru
For us, the forest is our market, our home, where we hunt, where we fish, where we live, and we like to be in our forests
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Fernando Alvarado, 67 from Peru
Fernando Alvarado, 67
Murui, Peru
For us, the forest is our market, our home, where we hunt, where we fish, where we live, and we like to be in our forests. That is why we are always in contact with different institutions, not only in Peru, but also in other parts of the world, and we are always working for the good of our area and our people
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Teófilo Kukush Pati, 54 from Peru
Teófilo Kukush Pati, 54
Wampis, Peru
The forest is a natural hospital. In the forest, there is so much goodness that benefits us.
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Teófilo Kukush Pati, 54 from Peru
Teófilo Kukush Pati, 54
Wampis, Peru
The forest is a natural hospital. In the forest, there is so much goodness that benefits us. There are medicinal plants, there is wood, which we use to build our houses, and all the goodness that is there benefits us.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Ana Mercedes Figueroa Fernández, 45 from Venezuela
Ana Mercedes Figueroa Fernández, 45
Pemón Arekuna, Venezuela
Just as a non-indigenous person goes to the pharmacy when they are sick, in the forest, we have our traditional plants. The forest is our supermarket, our pharmacy, and our hardware store
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Ana Mercedes Figueroa Fernández, 45 from Venezuela
Ana Mercedes Figueroa Fernández, 45
Pemón Arekuna, Venezuela
Just as a non-indigenous person goes to the pharmacy when they are sick, in the forest, we have our traditional plants. The forest is our supermarket, our pharmacy, and our hardware store because we get the materials for our churuatas, our transportation.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Nazareth Flores Cabao, 55 from Bolivia
Nazareth Flores Cabao, 55
Itonama, Bolivia
The forest is where we are born, where we have grown up, where we have lived. It is where we have our market, our pharmacy; it is our food source. That is what the forest, the Amazon, means to us.
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Nazareth Flores Cabao, 55 from Bolivia
Nazareth Flores Cabao, 55
Itonama, Bolivia
For me, the forest, my territory, is life. It is where we are born, where we have grown up, where we have lived. It is where we have our market, our pharmacy; it is our food source. That is what the forest, the Amazon, means to us.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Aracely Riascos Piaguán, 39 from Colombia
Aracely Riascos Piaguán, 39
Zoziobaim (Siona), Colombia
They are spiritual spaces, they are life, they are our worldview. It is a deep connection that one has with Mother Earth and with the territory.
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Aracely Riascos Piaguán, 39 from Colombia
Aracely Riascos Piaguán, 39
Zoziobaim (Siona), Colombia
They are spiritual spaces, they are life, they are our worldview. It is a deep connection that one has with Mother Earth and with the territory. That is why one must defend, preserve, and care for it.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Jayanti Sevriana, 24 from Indonesia
Jayanti Sevriana, 24
Semende, Indonesia
Forests have a very important position, not only as a source of life, but also as a legacy from our ancestors that must be preserved. We depend for our livelihoods on the products of the earth
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Jayanti Sevriana, 24 from Indonesia
Jayanti Sevriana, 24
Semende, Indonesia
Forests have a very important position, not only as a source of life, but also as a legacy from our ancestors that must be preserved. The forests in the Semende region have long been the places we depend on for our livelihood through the products of the earth, such as wood, rattan and bamboo. The water that flows there meets our daily needs and supports rice fields and coffee plantations.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
Guylain Mbale Mola, from DRC
Guylain Mbale Mola
Bikoro, DRC
The forest is our temple. It is like a cathedral. Everything we need is in the forest. If you destroy the forest, you also destroy our life. So the forest is our survival.
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Guylain Mbale Mola, from DRC
Guylain Mbale Mola
Bikoro, DRC
The forest is our temple. It is like a cathedral. Everything we need is in the forest. It plays a very important role, especially for us indigenous peoples. Today, if I am sick, I will not go to the hospital. I will go to the forest to find something to cure. If you destroy the forest, you also destroy our life. So the forest is our survival.
Dangers
worse same better n/a
Access to clean water
Threats against the community
Deforestation
Fires
Hunting, fishing & food access
Community health
Land rights
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