What if stories can heal our forests?
With objectives to empower people from the communities to use their cell phones to document their daily interactions with nature, and share their stories to the global audience, ‘The Great People’s Forest Storytelling training’ was held in Khuruthang, Punakha. It brought together over 30 participants from the local communities, including students and monks. The training aims to empower the participants to narrate their unique stories, emphasising Bhutan’s rich natural heritage. Over 30 participants learned about mobile videography and cinematography, storytelling techniques, mobile editing, and social media dissemination strategies. The training was initiated and funded by The Great People’s Forest project, facilitated by Bhutan Ecological Society (BES) and Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation (BTF).
The Great People’s Forest
The Great People’s Forest of Eastern Himalayas, launched in September last year, as part of India’s G20 presidency, is one of South Asia’s largest reforestation efforts. The project is a partnership between Conservation International, USA, and Balipara Foundation, Assam, India. It aims to raise USD 1 billion by 2030 for restoration activities across Bhutan, Bangladesh, Northeast India and Nepal. In Bhutan, BTF and BES are leading the project. During the first phase of the project, the BES plans to restore over 1000 hectares of land, and establish a nursery capable of producing 1 million saplings annually. The BTF will plant 150,820 native saplings in 215 hectares of degraded forest areas, including primary forest and private land, and work with 535 schools to plant over 500,000 trees. In addition, the project will establish a nursery capacity of 200,000 saplings.
Around 1 billion people live in the mountainous regions between Bhutan and Nepal and the mangrove-growing region of India and Bangladesh.
For more information about the Great People’s Project, click the link below:
