National Geographic - UK (2022-05)

PHOTO: ERIKA LARSEN

EXPLORE | PLANET POSSIBLE

Stroll a canopy walkway, take

a tree-climbing class, find forest

lodgings, play leaf detective.

You too can be an ‘arbornaut.’

BY CHRISTINA NUNEZ

For more stories about

how to help the planet, go to

natgeo.com/planet.

As deforestation occurs

worldwide at an alarming rate,

what could make us care and

act? Perhaps spending time in

and among trees, as National

Geographic Explorer Meg

Lowman does. A biologist,

author, and self-described

“arbornaut,” Lowman raises

awareness of forests’ vital

role—and helps developing

nations create jobs—by

promoting sky-high walkways

and tree canopy tourism. “The

canopy houses some 50 per-

cent of terrestrial biodiversity,”

she notes. Here are some ideas

for arboreal appreciation.

Become a leaf detective.

Take a closer look at the char-

acteristics of leaves on the

trees in your area. “There are

so many adventures on the

life of a leaf surface,” Lowman

says. “You just need to get out

your journals and start record-

ing observations over time.”

Climb trees—safely.

Relive the arboreal ascents

of childhood but with today’s

technology. Search online for

specialized climbing courses to

get the training and equipment

needed to scale large trees.

Explore a canopy walkway.

Gaze out from a walkway high

in the trees, like those Low-

man helps build around the

world. You’ll find an inter-

national map of walkways at

treefoundation.org.

Stay in or above trees.

Look online for lists of tree

houses for visits or lodging.

Another option: fire towers.

Now that the U.S. Forest Ser-

vice is using more technology

to aid humans’ fire detection

efforts, some former lookouts

can be rented for overnight

stays at recreation.gov.

The National Geographic

Society has funded the

work of “CanopyMeg” Lowman

since 1998. Learn more about

its support of Explorers at

natgeo.com/impact.

PLANET