A Nautilus Book Award Winner
“The strengths of this much needed book are many, from showing the daily and often dangerous difficulties of research work to the life- and world-changing importance of not ‘educating’ local people but instead collaborating with them in creating economic and medical systems that make habitat protection and restoration part of community life.”
—New York Journal of Books
“Inspiring…In a compelling narrative, the author shares the details of her journey and the cultural nuances of the region…A unique perspective that offers immense hope and direction for humanity in the face of climate change.”
—Kirkus (starred review)
“[Webb’s] devotion to fighting for the health of the world and its people remains unflagging, as evidenced in her galvanizing and hopeful story. Those looking for a jolt of inspiration would do well to pick this up.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“This really is a journey of hope, told with an observant eye and an open heart.”
—Booklist
"In my experience, only a few people have really earned the right to ask us to hope. As this magnificent volume makes clear, Kinari Webb is the exception. Her life is an inspiration, and her openness and vulnerability helps the rest of us make full empowering use of that remarkable story. Stay away from these pages unless you're prepared to be jolted into useful action!"
—Bill McKibben, New York Times bestselling author of The End of Nature
“In Guardians of the Trees, Kinari Webb tells the story of how she fell in love with a rainforest in Indonesia and how she worked to save it by listening to and involving the local people and improving their lives by providing medical facilities. People, animals and the environment—all are interconnected. Her courage and perseverance through a series of setbacks and a life-threatening encounter with a deadly jellyfish fill one with admiration. A wonderful book.”
—Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. Messenger of Peace
"This book is a wonder. An astonishing story, a page-turner, beautifully written, that will transport you deep into the rainforest and out again, transformed. Through her own remarkable journey, Kinari Webb has found a brilliant way to unite the healing of people and planet, to save both human lives and wild nature. So abundant is her passion and commitment that one can't help but emerge from her riveting story deeply affected, inspired, and flooded with hope."
—Jennifer Ackerman, New York Times bestselling author of The Genius of Birds and The Bird Way
“Guardians of the Trees is a completely captivating story rich with lessons about the potential for personal and planetary transformation. Kinari Webb brings us along on her inspiring journey and we emerge infused with hard won and realistic hope for the entwined futures of humans, forests and the world we inhabit together.”
—David Grinspoon, author of Earth in Human Hands
“With Borneo as backdrop as well as foreground, Kinari Webb compellingly shows us how public health and planetary health are one and the same.”
—Christiana Figueres, co-author of The Future We Choose and co-founder of Global Optimism
“Reading Guardians of the Trees left me, at turns, stunned and elated. At last, a vision for addressing climate change that rests not on the promise of more technology, but a return to the most basic tool: listening to the communities that know the world's forests best.”
—Katherine Standefer, author of Lightning Flowers
07/23/2021
Webb, a physician and founder of the nonprofit Health in Harmony, first came to Indonesian Borneo as an undergraduate to study orangutans in the rainforest. Falling in love with the place, Webb came to believe that to protect the rainforest from deforestation, locals must be involved in the decision making. On this basis, she founded the nonprofits Health in Harmony (based in the U.S.) and Alam Sehat Lestari (based in Indonesia, where she lives most of the year). Using "radical listening," she and her colleagues talked to residents of Borneo in order to determine their needs and wants—among them, access to affordable health care and training on the practices of organic agriculture. Webb takes care to give Borneo's residents a voice in this debut, sharing their ongoing concerns about the environment and what can and should be done to preserve it. It's also a fascinating memoir that details Webb's passion for the rainforest and her work to protect it while increasing residents' standard of living. Her writing remains engaging as she shares her own stories, including her long recovery from a box jellyfish sting, marital trouble, and growing interest in spirituality. VERDICT A compelling science memoir that will be relished by those who enjoy reading about innovative efforts to save imperiled habitats.—Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove, IL
★ 2021-07-20
The inspiring story of the creation of an award-winning model for reversing rainforest loss and improving human well-being.
In 1993, as an undergraduate biology major, Webb traveled to Indonesia to study the dispersal of seeds by orangutans in the mountains of Gunung Palung National Park. She immediately fell in love with the land, the animals, and the people. After hearing her “least favorite sound: the whine of a chain saw in the far distance,” she learned that logging was one of the few ways the locals could make money to pay for health care. Watching the forests of Borneo disappearing, she “felt like my heart was being ripped out.” With the conviction that public health and the planet’s health are intrinsically intertwined, Webb returned to Indonesia after medical school and co-founded Alam Sehat Lestari (“healthy nature everlasting”). The organization initiated a reforestation program and a clinic to provide affordable health care to the community. Webb also founded Health in Harmony, an international nonprofit dedicated to fighting climate change by preventing the destruction of rainforests. In a compelling narrative, the author shares the details of her journey and the cultural nuances of the region. At the heart of her mission is the concept of “radical listening.” By actively engaging the community while building her program, she was able to create real and sustainable results. Webb dedicated herself wholeheartedly to her organizations, working long hours and making numerous sacrifices. She candidly shares the personal and physical struggles she endured, including a box jellyfish sting that nearly killed her. Having already created the framework for her program, Webb decided to expand her work beyond Borneo. “The human species may be deeply flawed,” she writes, “but we also have the capacity for beauty, transcendence, and unexpectedly rapid change.” Webb’s vision is notable for its focus on truly listening to community members, not just leaders.
A unique perspective that offers immense hope and direction for humanity in the face of climate change.