My head for a tree

How much can one love a tree? Rajasthan, in northern India, is home to the Bishnoi, a desert people whose religion is built around nature and wildlife conservation. They are renowned for the extreme lengths they go to defend nature: Bishnoi have died to defend trees from loggers and in pursuit of illegal poachers. In ‘My Head For A Tree’, Martin Goodman charts the history of the Bishnoi way of life, and asks what a world facing climate change and natural harms can learn from a 600 year-old sustainable community. Goodman explores what lessons we can learn from the Bishnoi’s resilience and commitment to their delicate way of life in the face of modern adversity.