Eko-Eko is a project that aims to realise the ethos of Dr.Jane Goodall. In the world of conservation, whilst there is a great deal of knowledge for the “head”, a connection to the “heart” is required to inspire care, leading to positive action. Eko-Eko addresses the problem of a lack of environmental consciousness and action amongst the public with its 2-stage approach. The first stage connects the “Head to the Heart” by creating inspiring content which elicits an emotional response from the audience, whilst the second approach connects the “Heart to the Hand” through the creation of an active community of Malaysians who joins our volunteering programmes.

At the moment, there is very little knowledge within the general public of the wonders of our environment, the sheer scale of our biodiversity, and the important role it plays in all our lives. Although much research has been done, much of this information remains hard to access and difficult to understand for the public. As a result, the general public who have some awareness find they have few avenues to contribute directly to the protection of our flora and fauna. And for the rest, apathy sets in.

The protection and conservation of biodiversity necessarily requires the combined efforts of government agencies, NGO’s, corporations and civil society. Whilst we rely on wise decisions being made by policy-makers (the “top down” approach), Roots & Shoots feel that, of equal importance, the general public should be informed and actively participate in creating a “demand” for well-thought-out decision-making by powerful authorities and large corporations alike. To that end, we must reach out to both the HEADS and the HEARTS of the public, educate them on important issues of biodiversity, and provide the opportunities for them to contribute directly. When we have a ground swell of caring people willing to stand up for our Nature and Biodiversity, who are well-informed and care enough to speak up, then we may look forward to a world that is balanced in both its desire to grow economically, and far-sighted enough to understand that we need to have a new relationship with Nature in order to build a safe and sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.