“SUGi allows people all across the globe to transform abandoned sites, landfills, parking lots and waterways into ideal habitats for birds to nest, for fruits to grow, for fresh air and for the magic of nature to thrive. We created SUGi to give anyone anywhere the power to restore the web of life upon which we all depend!”
— Elise Van Middelem, SUGi Founder
Is it possible to restore the web of life, ecologically and socially, in our lifetime? As with all movements that have changed the course of history, it begins and advances step by step. With SUGi, we are restoring ecosystems and reconnecting people to Nature – forest by forest, community by community, species by species, person by person. We’ve created well over 120 SUGi Pocket Forests in cities and schools in 15 countries in less than 3 years.
These Pocket Forests flourish in climates ranging from humid tropical to temperate oceanic and Mediterranean to semi-arid. The total area covers 45,000m2 and includes 145,070 plants. On average, we’ve planted 34.7 different tree species in each forest. SUGi’s network of Forest Makers follows the proven Miyawaki Method, which is designed to replicate what an ancient forest ecosystem would have been like in a particular area. High species diversity and local plant endemism are crucial elements of the Miyawaki method and enable the creation of biodiversity hotspots and wildlife corridors in urban areas. A total of 567 plant species have been planted in SUGi forests globally.
Beyond the facts, figures and a remarkable tree survival rate of 83.5%, is the fact that many of these forests were planted by school children. Community is at the heart of all we do. By making it easy, fun, and social for anyone anywhere to become a biodiversity builder, we act as the global home and culture hub for those we call “The Rewilding Generation.” By re-establishing connections to Nature, we hope to nurture a mini butterfly effect, particularly with the joy it reignites within children — the rewilders of tomorrow. SUGi’s Cornish Rainforest Project, Koswik Law, is a great case!
Rainforest is a word that conjures up the vast, exotic and tropical, but rainforest once covered much of Ireland and the west coast of Great Britain. These majestic stands, also known as the Celtic rainforests rely on the moderating effects of sea temperatures and the linked weather patterns. Therefore, they should be seen as equally precious and diverse as their better-known tropical siblings.
As little as 1% of these temperate forest biomes are left in the United Kingdom; they can be considered the most at threat forest ecosystems globally. If they disappear, so will their fragile living medicine cabinet, which was once well known to the Celts. The last few pockets of Tolkienesque temperate rainforest contain a world of hanging epiphytes and resourceful cryptogams. Diversity of mosses, lichens, ferns and liverworts packed full of potential and locally available healing.
SUGi’s Lead Forest Maker, James Godfrey- Faussett, offers one example: “Yellow Wall is a species of lichen that grows best on the twisted limbs of the oak trees that form part of the damp mysterious realms of the temperate rainforests. This slow-growing species — a symbiotic combination of fungi and algae — has recently been found to have almost identical medicinal properties to quinine.”
But there is good news for this species and others. As we speak, a small temperate rainforest is forming in the mild damp conditions of the north coast of Cornwall. The lush biome was planted to the joyful chatter of the school children who helped create the legacy of this vital forest pocket. Over a week, the children switched their learning from the classroom books to nature’s lessons, swapping computer screens for trowels and textbooks for saplings.
This can become the norm: children directly shaping their local future, connecting to nature and releasing their inner joy amongst the restoration of their native flora and fauna and continuation of nature’s living wisdom and healing. Ten more of these outdoor classrooms designed to restore the Celtic Rainforest are planned in Cornwall. Explore them here.
Want to learn more? Why not explore our 2021 Impact Report (link) or watch some of the films we’ve made while creating the learning & healing sites for future generations. Here is a film of one of our Outdoor Classrooms (Video here). Another example of our unique work is the creation of a ‘Healing Forest’ with a correctional facility in the Yakama Nation, USA. (Video here).
SUGi is an official partner of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration and is a nominee for the Earthshot Prize.
You can find us at www.sugiproject.com