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

The World Resources Institute (WRI) highlights the role of art and culture in enhancing ecological restoration efforts, particularly in local communities. Eric Lartey, the Landscape Restoration Manager for the Ghana Cocoa Belt at WRI, shared this insight during the inaugural Climate x Culture Summit in Accra on October 22. Lartey emphasized that "Restoration is more about people," explaining that music, oral traditions, festivals, and customary practices play a significant role in how many Ghanaian communities interact with their environment, including land, forests, water, and biodiversity.

He argued that incorporating culture into restoration projects can help connect these efforts to community identity and leverage traditional ecological knowledge, which could lead to more effective restoration practices. Lartey also showcased the Restoration Artists Network (RAN), a WRI-led initiative bringing together musicians, visual artists, storytellers, and cultural leaders to make ecological restoration more relatable and accessible.

According to Lartey, "Artists are powerful storytellers and cultural influencers," capable of transforming complex restoration concepts into accessible and engaging messages. An example of RAN's work is a collaboration between Ghanaian and American artists who created six songs inspired by Ghanaian musical traditions and local languages.

The goal of this project, Lartey explained, is to infuse landscape restoration with a "local and a human voice."