Forest Man

Humble yet passionate and philosophical about his work Jadev Payeng tells the story of how he decided to make a forest.

Since the 1970's Majuli islander Jadav Payeng has been planting trees in order to save his island. To date he has single handedly planted a forest larger than Central Park in New York. His forest has transformed what was once a barren wasteland, into a lush oasis, home to endangered species and so much more.

Humble yet passionate and philosophical about his work, Payeng takes us on a journey into his incredible forest.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” – Chinese proverb
Forest Man

An agricultural scientist once said to Jadev, "plant trees and they will take care of us".

So, when he saw his home, Majuli island, turning into a desert, that’s exactly what he decided to do. Over the course of several decades he restored a landscape and he speaks passionately about biodiversity, climate change and the environment, in India and abroad. He is now helping non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in other countries plant trees and create forests too.

“The planting of a tree is a modest form of immortality and one of the few truly long-term expressions of hope to mortal human beings.” – Voltaire
Dan Broun
Dan Broun
Kuno Earth Media Centre Manager
Dan Broun is an experienced photo-journalist and passionate advocate for wild nature


Share

Help us to build a platform to connect people with planet earth!

Become a supporter

You might like...

World Bee Day: Science and outdoor learning go together like bees and honey Bees T Illy aged 7

World Bee Day: Science and outdoor learning go together like bees and honey

Young minds are innately curious about the world around them. So much is new, exciting, miraculous! And so it proved at World Bee Day on Bruny Island
Read more
The incredible diversity of Bruny Island Mavista Bruny Island Warwick Berry

The incredible diversity of Bruny Island

Bruny Island is a really special place. It's got an incredible diversity of habitats. It's relatively undeveloped, relatively undamaged. So on Bruny I...
Read more
The open water migration of three rare parrots Orange Bellied Parrot Kim Murray

The open water migration of three rare parrots

It is unusual that there's only three species of parrot that migrate across open water in the world. They all migrate across Bass Strait, and they're ...
Read more
Do wombats wear woolly jumpers in winter? Wombats in woolly jumpers by Grade 2 and 3 Bruny Island kids

Do wombats wear woolly jumpers in winter?

A group of Bruny Island District School kids recently imagined Winter Wombats Wearing Woolly Jumpers and came up with some stunning artworks.  As wint...
Read more

Newsletter

Sign up to keep in touch with articles, updates, events or news from Kuno, your platform for nature