A New Conservation Model: Communities Living Lightly Within Forests

At a time when forests are disappearing on the edges of towns and cities—just where we need them most—the Living Forest Trust offers a new path forward. Rather than pushing people away from nature, this model protects forests near human communities, conserving the lungs of the planet while allowing limited, low‑impact settlement. These forests become living partners: filtering water, cleaning air, moderating climate, and providing space for people to live, learn, and work within them without harm.

This approach also responds to a growing fatigue in the world of philanthropy. In an era of donor exhaustion, when so many urgent causes compete for limited funding, the Living Forest model stands apart. Once its first 1,000‑acre site is established, it becomes self‑funding—using ethical, purpose‑driven development to finance perpetual forest protection. Each project seeds the next, expanding conservation not through charity, but through regeneration: of forests, communities, and livelihoods together.