Page 26 - KWT-2019-Annual-Report_Web-Version

Note from KWT Ambassadors

The Covid-19 pandemic
has brought life sharply in
to focus. It has forced us to
isolate ourselves from our
normal existence, one where
most people are so busy and
stressed that they can barely
think. This is time for reflection
and gratitude for what we
have - rather than what we lack.
Time to Iive more mindfully
as we consider what is most
important. It is time to put the
natural environment - Nature
- back at the centre and at the
heart of our consciousness. The
stark truth is that many people
have become disconnected
from Nature. Nearly 60% of the
world’s 7.5 billion people are

now crowded in to cities and urban areas. Under those circumstances it is all too easy to draw
down the shutters and believe that our technology is capable of providing all our needs. Yet not
only does all technology come from Nature, it is essential to our wellbeing; the source of the air
we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. And it is at the heart of our spiritual and
mental wellbeing.
As communities emerge from lockdown and the trauma of living and dying with Covid-19 it is
our heartfelt hope that there will not be a return to the old “normal”. We must establish a new
normal - a normal capable of transforming economies preoccupied with the idea of growth at
all costs to one that embraces a more sustainable approach. That means creating sustainable
practices is elevated to the top of every business agenda.
The Planet that has been warning us for years of our wayward approach to managing life on
earth. It is only a few months since the media was awash with stories of raging bush fires in
California and Australia, melting polar icecaps and collapsing glaciers in Greenland, floods

26 KENYA WILDLIFE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT 2019 KENYA WILDLIFE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT 2019