From the Amazon to Scotland, forest leaders united in hope

A delegation of indigenous leaders taking part in a ceremony held within a wooden arch built from locally sourced larch on the Cowal peninsula in Scotland on Nov 4, on the sidelines of the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference. Photos: Ben Stansall/AFP

Some 10,000km from his native Brazil, Kreta Kaingang plants an oak sapling in Kilfinan Community Forest as part of a project to reintroduce rainforests into the Highlands of Scotland.

Delicately, the chieftain packs earth around the base of the stem with his hands and caresses the budding branches.