Hannah Trayford – 21st March 2026

On my first days working in the tropical forests of Sumatra, I stood beneath towering trees watching orangutans move through the canopy while hornbills crossed the sky above.

In moments like that, it was easy to think the greatest lessons would come from the wildlife.

But the forests changed much more than how I understood animals. They changed how I understood people.

Fieldwork brought together an extraordinary mix of individuals. I worked alongside scientists, local forest communities and field guides, journalists documenting the work, and conservation practitioners, people who had travelled across the world simply because they cared about these landscapes.  

It was a reminder that forests draw people together from very different walks of life.

As a woman working in these environments, I became aware of how much conservation depends on patience, tolerance, and the ability to connect across cultures and experiences. Learning to listen, adapt, and build trust often becomes just as important as the science itself.

The forest quickly teaches you that control is an illusion. Plans rarely unfold exactly as intended. Weather shifts, logistics fail, and the behaviour of animals constantly reminds you that the natural world does not operate on our schedules.

Over time, the forest became more than a workplace: it became a teacher.

Teaching me to slow down, observe carefully, and practise sabar — patience.

Those lessons have stayed with me long after leaving daily fieldwork.

Today, my work focuses on helping evidence travel more clearly between research, policy, and practice. In many ways, that work still draws on the same mindset the forest teaches: listen carefully, look for patterns, and recognise that the full story is often more complex than it first appears.

On International Day of Forests, it’s easy to focus on what forests provide, such as incredible biodiversity, carbon storage, and livelihoods for millions of people.

But forests also shape the people who work within them.

For many of us, the forest becomes not just a place we work, but a place that quietly changes how we see the world long after we have left the trees.