A successful response to the major environmental challenges of the 21^st century relies on two factors: restoring critical biodiversity, and connecting an increasingly disconnected human population to the natural world.

Connecting the Roots aims to effect change at both a local and global level by focusing on these vital two factors.

We will produce a biodiversity framework for restoring vital ecosystems, and support local and international communities via in-person and online educational arts and community programmes.

Interdisciplinary collaboration is key to our creative process. We work with scientists, technologists, artists, local communities, wisdom-keepers and more to create extraordinary resources for transformational work, driven by our collective aim to rewild the land and the world around us.

The most common method of carbon offsetting involves calculating the carbon used and then paying a company to plant trees in exchange for carbon credits. While a good idea in theory, in practice, it can do more harm than good. Vast tree plantations are not our way out of the climate emergency.

• Carbon offsetting is impossible to verify accurately.
• Numerous carbon offsetting projects have been shown to actually harm the environment and local communities.
• Often carbon offset schemes prioritise monoculture plantations which reduce biodiversity, the availability of certain nutrients, and degrade the soil.
• Carbon credits are regularly issued for protecting forests that already exist and were never at risk.
• Carbon offsetting isn’t effective at reducing climate change, and there are not enough offsets possible to cover all of the planet’s Co2 emissions.
• Carbon offsetting schemes allow corporations to claim to be sustainable, when really, they’re not making any real or effective changes to their harmful business practices.

We believe that biodiversity credits are the answer, prioritising high-quality nature-based solutions that restore biodiversity and improve livelihoods, while also removing carbon. 

To test out all of our strategies and to learn from doing, Connecting the Roots currently has a pilot project underway on a two-hectare area of precious tropical dry forest in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rica.

The pilot project is supported by Enter Gallery, who are based in Brighton in the UK. The gallery have pledged £100,000 over the next decade to supporting this pilot project. With £30,000 invested to date, their support has allowed us to build a nursery, to establish a solar-powered water system, to plant over 400 trees, cultivate essential seeds and saplings, and to establish a vegetable garden that supports those that work on the project.

The centre of operations for the pilot project and all ongoing rewilding projects is located at Eagle’s Nest – a 10-hectare site located within a further 57-hectares of protected land.

This centre of eco-excellence will be a showcase of our rewilding best practices, and will be equipped to host visitors to the project for residential stays and meetings. This permanent base will include a visitor centre and a retreat centre, perfect for hosting:

– Educational programmes with local schools

– Artist residencies and art installations with local and international artists

– A range of events that celebrate well-being, the arts, music and indigenous culture

Rewilding is a process by which an ecosystem is returned to its original state. It has been found to be a much more effective strategy for reversing climate change and restoring biodiversity than simply planting trees. It works fast, has greater longevity and provides rich diverse habitats for vital species.

Scientists have found that if we restore 30% of the world’s 30 most important ecosystems by 2030, we can prevent more than 70% of predicted extinctions and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by 49%.

The tropical dry forest found in Guanacaste is one of these important ecosystems. It is also fast-growing, which means that with the right techniques, focusing on rewilding and restoring biodiversity is likely to provide the best results in the shortest time frame.

Over a 25-year period, our rewilding projects will fund landowners to replant areas of tropical dry forest that have been destroyed in the name of cattle farming. Local landowners and farmers will benefit from a salary, education and support to switch to a more profitable and ecologically-friendly way to use their land. The project is being developed with sustainability in mind, offering long-term financial incentives alongside tangible benefits that will positively impact the community for generations to come.

While we will always be learning and adapting as we go, our initial model is based on Kew Gardens’ 10 golden rules for restoring forests:

1. Protect existing forest first
2. Work together with the community
3. Aim to maximise biodiversity recovery to meet multiple goals
4. Select appropriate areas for restoration
5. Use natural regeneration wherever possible
6. Select species to maximise biodiversity
7. Use resilient plant material
8. Plan ahead for infrastructure, capacity and seed supply
9. Learn by doing (using an adaptive management approach)
10. Make it pay (ensuring the economic sustainability of the project)

Research, education, community involvement and inclusivity are at the heart of our plans. Local people will be involved in the project throughout, from planning stage to implementation.

Landowners and farmers will be offered financial support and education in return for their commitment. To ensure our plans are sustainable in the long-term, we will ensure those that sign up benefit financially on an ongoing basis from the framework put in place to measure biodiversity credits generated by the project.

Empowerment of local communities is a key objective. We are focused on ensuring those involved receive all of the educational, financial and lifestyle benefits that arise from rewilding the land.

With the support of the Costa Rican government, we will also prioritise:

1 – Working with a skilled team of scientists, environmentalists, and horticulturalists to establish the most effective strategies for rewilding and restoring biodiversity.

2 – Creating a carefully-curated arts and education programme, alongside top educators, local communities and artists, that will immerse residents and visitors into our biodiversity restoration work and improve human connection to the natural world.

We have already secured approximately 300 hectares through engagement with local landowners and farmers who are ready to sign up to our proposed rewilding scheme with a 25-year commitment.

We have also initiated talks with local landowners and cattle farmers who hold large tranches of land and the initial response has been very positive. Our aim is to sign them up for a 25-year commitment using a model based on an existing successful 40-year project in Hojancho which was started in 1978. Incentives will include financial support, education and assistance in the rewilding of their land through advice and the provision of saplings and plants.

Ultimately we plan for this to become a sustainable community project benefiting the local people first and foremost, offering employment and empowerment.

Traditionally, Guanacaste has been the main cattle ranching region in northwest Costa Rica. With forest destroyed to make room for pasture, the region suffered accelerated deforestation. This resulted in the land losing its natural protection from the tropical sun, the roots of trees that hold soil in place being removed, and the leaf litter that retains moisture and aids soil fertility being lost.

Ecosystems require healthy soil to function as intended, so improving soil quality is top priority. We plan to improve soil fertility via composting to enhance general growing conditions. This will help new seeds to sprout, help the ground to retain more water, and sequester more carbon.

For the project to be a success, it must encourage socio-economic growth, and result in an improvement to living standards and livelihoods. The UN’s Three Pillars of Sustainable Development are economic, social and environmental, and all three will play key roles in our planning and execution.

We will prioritise establishing respectful relationships with landowners and farmers, providing new jobs, education, training, improved infrastructure and economic return for environmental services, including carbon sequestration, removal of waste from human activities and landscape maintenance.

Our forestry and sustainability experts will train and educate those involved in all aspects of rewilding and sustainable living.

The semi-tropical dry forest is the perfect environment for creating ‘Milpas’, or forest gardens. We will encourage the creation of these gardens, and the cultivation of produce such as bananas, papayas, and citrus fruits, as well at the ‘three sisters’ (or ‘tres hermanas’, as they are called in Costa Rica) — corn, beans and squash.

In addition to planting trees and plants which provide landowners and farmers with food and income, we aim to create an investment model that allows businesses a real opportunity for growth and empowerment via participating in our rewilding project.