We are going through dark times, politically, socially, and especially environmentally. For thousands of years, early humans, like most animal species, lived in harmony with the natural world, hunter-gatherers taking only what they needed to survive. Gradually, that changed. As our populations grew, our demands on the planet’s natural resources increased and became increasingly unsustainable.
In many instances, need became greed. Far too many became trapped in a materialistic outlook where success was based on acquiring wealth. There was an unrealistic idea that there could be infinite economic growth on a planet with finite natural resources. Billions of people have become increasingly divorced from the natural world and instead live in a virtual world defined by technology.
I have spent much of my life studying the amazing animals with whom we share or should share this planet. I have come to understand the complexity of ecosystems, where each animal and plant is interconnected and has a role to play in the complex web of life. The chimpanzees that I and my team have observed and worked to protect since 1960 are amazingly like us. They can live more than 60 years, have distinct personalities, form close bonds between family members, and can use and make tools. They show emotions similar to ours: love, compassion, joy, grief, and so on. They live in complex communities and are territorial. Like us they can be aggressive and brutal, but like us they can also be loving and altruistic.
There is one major difference that separates us from chimpanzees and other animals—the explosive development of our intellect. For although animals—and not just the Great Apes, elephants and whales, but rats and pigs, birds, octopuses and even some insects—are far more intelligent than was once thought, that capacity cannot compare with an intellect that has allowed us to explore outer space and the depths of the oceans, and create the internet and AI.
Unfortunately, though we are unquestionably the most intellectual creature that has ever lived on Planet Earth, we cannot claim that we are the most intelligent—if we were, we would not be destroying our only home. We have lost the wisdom that we see in so many of the Indigenous peoples, who make major decisions only after asking how they will affect future generations. Those who have, for hundreds of years, been stewards of the land.
The good news is that we are beginning to use our intellect to find ways to repair the web of life. As we use our intellect to understand the complexity of the natural world, we are better able to work together to find ways to heal the damage we are inflicting. The path we have been on—one of unsustainable consumption and destruction of nature’s resources—has led us to a crisis.
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases have led to a warming planet and changing weather patterns. Species have disappeared at an alarming rate, vast tracts of forests and woodlands have been cleared, wetlands drained, coral reefs bleached, grasslands destroyed. While we cannot fully bring back what is gone, there is much we can do to begin the healing. Nature, when given the chance, has an incredible capacity for regeneration. Forests can be restored, rivers can run clean again, and animals—even those on the brink of extinction—can be given another chance and return to their restored habitats.
Tim Christophersen’s book, Generation Restoration, is a call to action, a roadmap that we can follow as we attempt to heal the harm we have inflicted. It presents a vision of how the world can be for future generations. It is a plea to all—young and old, individuals and nations—to come together to tackle the daunting but essential task of restoring Earth’s degraded ecosystems on a planetary scale. More than that, it is an invitation for us to reflect on our relationship with Planet Earth, to rekindle a sense of awe and gratitude for the beauty, diversity, and complexity of the natural world, for then we will understand the importance of working to protect it and understand that our well-being is inextricably linked to the health of ecosystems—forests, oceans, prairies, wetlands, and all the rest. If we fail, we are doomed. Humans are not exempt from extinction.
It is important to recognize that the movement toward planetary restoration is not so much a scientific or technical challenge, because we know what to do and we have the tools to do it. The challenge is to develop a new mindset in which the protection and restoration of the natural world is central to government policy, business practices, and everyday life. We must reduce unsustainable lifestyles, alleviate poverty, transform industrial farming with its reliance on chemical pesticides, herbicides, and artificial fertilizers, tackle the problems of pollution and waste, and much more.
It is very important to involve local communities and help them find ways to support themselves and their families without destroying their environment, so that they understand that protecting nature is not just for wildlife but for their own future. For then they become our partners in conservation. I know this is true because of the community-led conservation program of the Jane Goodall Institute in six countries, where we work to protect chimpanzees and their forest environment. Of course, in many cultures around the world the relationship with nature is still strong. We have much to learn from Indigenous communities as we seek to reestablish a respectful relationship with the world that surrounds us and on which we depend.
Economic growth, as we have traditionally defined it, can no longer be our guiding star. Instead, we must prioritize the health of the planet and all its inhabitants, and balance this with a way to meet human need and reduce human greed. This will not be easy, but it is essential if we are to create a future where people and nature can thrive in harmony.
Young people, the leaders of tomorrow, are already stepping up to this challenge with passion and determination. They understand that their future is at stake, and they are demanding change. Movements for climate action, conservation, and rewilding are gaining momentum around the globe, driven by a generation that knows we cannot afford to wait—but they cannot do it alone.
We must all play our part, recognizing that each of us—no matter how small our actions may seem—can contribute to the restoration of our planet. If enough people, especially those in the corporate world, understand the urgency of the situation and take action, politicians will support, rather than oppose, the tough decisions that must be made.
Excerpted with permission from the publisher, Wiley from Generation Restoration: How to Fix Our Relationship Crisis with Mother Nature by Tim Christophersen. Copyright © 2026 by Tim Christophersen. All rights reserved.
