Earth heroes: stories of steadfast involvement with Nature
“If we truly put a value on biodiversity, we would live in a really, really different world.”—Clover Hogan, youth climate activist and founder of Force of Nature “Azzam Alwash’s stubborn persistence that proved experts wrong is needed everywhere, he believes. For our civilization to continue—if not our very existence—will demand vision that transcends conventional wisdom and boundaries.” —Alan Weisman A blue jay’s wing feather is a remarkable sight. Finding one and using it as a bookmark for Alan Weisman’s new book, Hope Dies Last: Visionary People Across the World, Fighting to Find Us a Future, I was taken aback by its subtle blue and black pattern of colours that end with a flourish of striking white. Of course, countless animals have such odes to beauty, but this feather is one more proof of the inexhaustible creativity found throughout the natural world. Yet most humans fail to celebrate the stunning imagination of Nature, and indeed many have a reckless disregard for it. Fortunately, others are working tirelessly to give Nature the help it needs. One such person is Azzam Alwash, who won the Goldman Environmental Prize for his invaluable contribution with other community members to bring back the fabled Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq after Saddam Hussein diverted the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in his bid to destroy the enemies he believed were hiding in the marshes. This happened in 1993, and 20 years later, after an ecocide that seemed irreversible, Alwash’s headstrong commitment to replenish the Middle East’s largest wetland had already begun to bring back the impossible: water flowed once more, and to everyone’s astonishment myriad forms of life re-emerged. Many years previously I had read Wilfred Thesiger’s fabulous book The Marsh Arabs, which speaks so passionately about life in the Mesopotamian Marshes, so I was particularly interested in learning about the area’s resilience to the ecocide. Another Earth hero, Rob Hopkins, a cofounder of the Transition Network, has striven to protect communities around the world that are threatened by climate breakdown caused by the burning of fossil fuels, by bringing people into community groups that provide inspiration to succeed locally. I have witnessed first-hand how these groups are able to make huge contributions to community involvement and resilience. Hopkins’ recent work focussing on the vital role of imagination to make our world truly a place of celebration is also an inspiration for many. https://transitionnetwork.org/ An extraordinary endeavour to bring before the world the plight of animals was initiated this year by THE HERDS. Setting out from Kinshasa, DRC in April to walk the 20,000km to the Arctic Circle with life-size articulated sculptured figures that mimic real animals in both appearance and mannerisms, the participants engaged thousands of people in an invigorating conversation and educational project. The work continues with Let the Wildness in, THE HERDS’ dynamic interactive education programme “designed to connect young minds with the wonders of Nature and the urgent need for climate action.” Visiting many diverse habitats, it takes students on “a journey through the world’s ecosystems, exploring the wildlife, challenges,