Samboja Lestari – Towards “life in harmony”

In this talk hosted by TED, Willie Smits discusses how he restored a patch of rainforest to a location that was previously suffering from a slash-and-burn holocaust in one of the poorest regions in Borneo. The devastation of the natural biosphere in that location directly impacted the local population quite detrimentally through loss of arable land, loss of rainfall and consequently drinking water, and wild fires. As it turns out, the solution he discusses is not only good for the ecosystem but also quite profitable for the local population. Mr. Smits shows us that technology and knowledge can be used to work with the natural order through scientific integration of cash crops, food plants, and general biodiversity for a sustainable forest. A combination of agriculture and forestry (Agroforestry) might be the next evolution in the way we interact with Mother Earth.



And you can also check out the Orangutan Outreach site