The need to find better ways to balance the needs of people and nature can hardly be understated. But of course it’s easier said than done. Sustainable land-use planning calls for a deep understanding of complex ecological and economic systems, considered across large scales and long timeframes.

In Gabon, the African Conservation Development Group is advancing a nature-based model of economic development through its ambitious Grande Mayumba project. They asked us to help introduce this vision to the wider world, in particular to potential investors and partners within academia and government agencies. Our aim was to balance a clear sense of urgency with a measure of optimism – to look squarely at the damage done while underscoring that human ingenuity can still steer us toward a more sustainable future.