Art can give ecological restoration a local voice – World Resources Institute

The World Resources Institute (WRI) highlights the role of art and culture in making ecological restoration more relevant to local communities, as shared by Eric Lartey, the Landscape Restoration Manager for the Ghana Cocoa Belt. Speaking at the inaugural Climate x Culture Summit in Accra on October 22, Mr. Lartey emphasized that restoration is fundamentally about people and how they connect with their environment.

Lartey explained that music, oral traditions, festivals, and customary practices play a crucial role in shaping how many Ghanaian communities interact with their land, forests, water, and biodiversity. He argued that incorporating culture into restoration projects can foster a stronger connection to community identity and leverage traditional ecological knowledge, which can inform more effective restoration practices.

He introduced the Restoration Artists Network (RAN), a global initiative by WRI that unites musicians, visual artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders to enhance the accessibility of ecological restoration. Lartey noted that artists serve as powerful storytellers and cultural influencers, capable of translating complex restoration concepts into straightforward and engaging messages.

One notable project under RAN involved Ghanaian and American artists who collaborated to create six songs rooted in Ghanaian musical traditions and local languages. This effort aims to infuse landscape restoration with a local and human dimension, according to Lartey.