In this inaugural episode of Ground Truth, Eden: People+Planet CEO Bryan Adkins and COO Glen Prior discuss the organization’s evolution from tree planting to comprehensive landscape restoration. They reveal how this systemic approach delivers measurable environmental, social, and economic returns for corporations seeking high-integrity climate solutions.
01:00-07:45 | From Healthcare to Ecosystem Health: The Origins of a Systems Approach
- Bryan’s background in East Africa as a healthcare provider revealed the inextricable connection between environmental and human health
- Firsthand observation of how deforestation and land degradation directly impact food security, water quality, and community health outcomes
- The critical revelation: treating symptoms (patient by patient) versus addressing root causes (ecosystem restoration)
- How environmental degradation creates cascading effects across communities, economies, and health systems
07:46-13:50 | Eden’s Evolution: From Tree Planting to Landscape Restoration
- Eden’s 20-year journey from focusing on poverty alleviation through tree planting to comprehensive landscape restoration
- The recognition that trees are inputs to a larger system rather than standalone solutions
- Why isolated reforestation without addressing drivers of deforestation creates temporary employment but not permanent solutions
- The shift to understanding landscapes as complex, interconnected systems requiring long-term commitments
13:51-22:30 | Understanding Drivers of Deforestation and Designing Holistic Solutions
- How proximal drivers (need for agricultural land) connect to distal drivers (economic pressures)
- Why restoration plans must address both immediate environmental needs and underlying socioeconomic factors
- The importance of consultative processes with local stakeholders in landscape assessment and restoration planning
- Real examples of watershed restoration that integrate forest health, water security, and community livelihoods
22:31-31:05 | The Science and Art of Landscape Restoration
- Why working with nature involves uncertainty but not prohibitive risk
31:06-40:30 | The Business Case for Investing in Nature
40:31-48:08 | Communicating Value in Long-Term Restoration
