“We are nature. What we do to nature, we do to ourselves.” 

– Satish Kumar, author of Soil, Soul, Society and Editor Emeritus of the Resurgence Trust

7.5 billion humans on Earth (and counting) depend on healthy, functioning ecosystems. The world’s forests, oceans, rivers – its natural systems – along with the diversity and abundance of species that make them up, regulate the air we breathe, provide the food we eat, the water we drink, and protect us against some of the most dangerous impacts of climate change.

We are part of the natural world and whatever language we use to describe the phenomenon – the Anthropocene, the Sixth Mass Extinction – there is no question that our actions are beginning to shape nature in ways that are not just harmful for other life forms but, fundamentally for ourselves too.

Synchronicity: A film by Synchronicity Earth, with Satish Kumar

The future of humanity and the natural world are not separate, yet we often treat them as such. As so many of us now live in increasingly urban societies, immersed in technology, are we forgetting our relationship with and dependence on nature?

As human beings, what are our underlying values? How can we better understand the deep connections between planetary health and human wellbeing? How are the natural world and human ‘development’ intertwined and what does that mean for conservation? At Synchronicity Earth, we don’t pretend to have all the answers, but we do think the questions deserve some thought.

“The ingenuity with which we continue to reshape the surface of our planet is very striking, but it’s also sobering. It reminds me of just how easy it is for us to lose our connection with the natural world. Yet it’s on this connection that the future of both humanity and of the natural world will depend.”

– David Attenborough