As part of the ongoing series with Templeton World Charity Foundation, POSTHOC Salon welcomed Amazon rainforest explorer and conservationist Paul Rosolie to Los Angeles, last September, on the heels of POSTHOC's event honoring Templeton Prize winner Jane Goodall, also held in L.A.
During the salon interview conducted by POSTHOC founder and host, Susan MacTavish Best, Rosolie recalled cutting a sprawling line of people waiting to meet Jane Goodall to give her the first chapter of his book on Amazonian wildlife, Mother Of God. She eventually asked for a meeting with him and agreed to write the forward for it, after thoroughly vetting him to be sure of his dedication, of course. "She basically said [by writing the forward] 'I've given you something that's going to open massive doors for you and I need to know what your plan is to protect how much of this region.' She's looking at the fight to save this planet as the defining issue of our time, that never in human history has there ever been something that has united the entire planet because every single one of us depends on it."
There's absolutely no doubt of how dedicated Rosolie is after hearing his interview. He's now spent nearly half of his life traveling to the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon each year. His organization, Jungle Keepers, employs locals in the Peruvian Amazon to serve as ecotourism guides and forest rangers monitoring threatening activity and providing wildlife aid. Rosolie also runs a conservation project, Tamandua Expeditions, that uses tourism to support rainforest conservation. To date, Jungle Keepers is protecting 50,000 acres of Amazon rainforest, but is working tirelessly to expand the scope of their program to protect 250,000 key acres. The western Amazon is a crucial biome that is under extreme threat from logging interests. The area is home to irreplaceable flora and fauna, medicines yet to be discovered, countless species of animals, and some as-yet uncontacted indigenous tribes.
Watch a short video interview with Paul Rosolie, produced by POSTHOC here.
POSTHOC Salons hosted by Susan MacTavish Best celebrate the power of gathering by bringing people together to share ideas, stimulate conversations, spark connections, and build community. The salon series POSTHOC hosts with support from the Templeton World Charity Foundation asks thought-leading experts what it means to flourish.
