“New Community Tree Stewardship Framework Launched to Transform Forest and Land Care”
Last week marked a significant turning point in the way we care for and protect our forests and lands. The launch of the Rooted in Ethics: The Community Tree Stewardship Framework represents a groundbreaking initiative that aims to bring about a more holistic and sustainable approach to forest and land management.
Five years in the making, the framework was developed through extensive collaboration and deep listening, with the participation of Original Peoples and Nations. It sets forth a set of guidelines, ethical principles, and working practices that promote the restoration of forests and lands while respecting and honoring the rights of nature, communities, and cultures.
One of the key objectives of the framework is to promote best practices in tree care and community empowerment. It advocates for representation and community-led decision-making at both systemic and organizational levels. By providing ethical approaches to restoring forests and lands and securing funding that meets their needs, the framework and its accompanying Practices Guide seek to empower local communities as stewards of their environments.
Moreover, the framework aims to spark conversations and provide practical guidelines for organizations, businesses, and local governance bodies to adopt. It acknowledges the inherent rights of nature and invites us to consider Nature as conscious and intelligent. By doing so, it presents an opportunity for us to reflect on our relationship with the natural world and how we can better care for the planet we all call home.
Commenting on the launch, Suzi Steer, lead author on behalf of TreeSisters, stated: “Rooted in Ethics represents a significant milestone in our collective journey towards a positive future and a more harmonious relationship with Nature. By bridging deep knowledge of Original Principles with the best scientific research practices, we hope to ignite a public conversation about our connection to Nature and inspire positive action towards peaceful coexistence.”
Mindahi Bastida of the Otomi-Toltec of Central Mexico, Lead Author for The Fountain, also shared his thoughts on the framework, saying: “Working on Rooted in Ethics has been very meaningful because, at the beginning, we were looking at ethics from the Western point of view related to Nature. Then we saw that those kinds of ethics, the rational ethics coming from humans, encounter these other ethics coming from Mother Earth and Father Sky. They complemented each other, and it’s beautiful because it’s an intention, a way of bringing together this ancestral wisdom, and it’s very powerful. We not only have ethics as humans, but these are ethics for all species.”
The launch of Rooted in Ethics: The Community Tree Stewardship Framework is not just a vision for the future but a call to action. It urges us to come together and collaborate for a world where Nature and humanity can thrive. For more information about the framework, please visit our website or contact learning@treesisters.org.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.