It’s become routine to read, to see and to hear horror stories about the decimation of the Amazon rainforest, so it’s most welcome to come across this delightful story from the BBC People Fixing the World series about Omar Tello.

Omar lives in central Ecuador and the report says he’s done what few others have achieved – Omar has replanted a rainforest from scratch.

Driven to despair at watching the destruction of the rainforest and the disappearance of its wildlife, Omar gave up his job as an accountant 40 years ago and bought a small block of land.

Slowly he began to replant the rainforest, venturing deep into the jungle to find the seeds and samplings of the great trees that had been chopped and cleared.

Under Omar’s tender care, his oasis has thrived and it’s now home to insects and snakes and all sorts of critters.

But Omar’s plot is only a few hundred square metres and is potentially under threat from the development surrounding his sanctuary.

Fortunately, there’s hope in the form of Maria Jose Iturralde. Maria is the founder of Human for Abundance, a not-for-profit organisation that pays Amazonian farmers to conserve and replant the rainforest.

Amidst all of the apocalyptic foreboding about catastrophic climate change, we desperately need more role-model stories like Omar’s to reaffirm our faith in the resilience of nature and the power of individuals to make a difference.

In the meantime, here’s the link for Humans for Abundance.

Sustainable products and services | Humans for Abundance