Why Wildlife Matters: The Tangible Benefits of Biodiversity

Indigenous communities have always understood that wildlife is essential to human well-being. Now, finally science is catching up. A recent study in Nature Reviews Biodiversity introduces a framework for understanding wildlife’s role in nature’s contributions to people (NCPs), showing how animals directly support human well-being – through climate regulation, food security, public health, and cultural significance. Meanwhile, epidemiologists and immunologists warn that deforestation and biodiversity loss are increasing the risk of pandemic outbreaks and increasing the prevalence of allergies.

The message is clear: protecting wildlife isn’t just about saving nature, and not just for its aesthetic value alone – it’s about safeguarding our future.

The Hidden Value of Wildlife

At Kindred Forest, this understanding is the foundation of our work. Our mission is to stop deforestation and promote biodiversity, not just because we care about nature and wildlife, but because we recognise its undeniable value to people — farmers, consumers, and entire communities.  

Rainforests are the richest ecosystems on Earth, and their biodiversity is essential for the livelihoods of those who live in and around them. Farmers who embrace wildlife-friendly practices see real benefits: natural pest control, improved pollination, and healthier soil. 

Take two of the world’s most beloved crops: cacao and coffee.

• Cacao cannot thrive without midges or flies for pollination, nor without the monkeys and bats that help disperse its seeds. 

• Coffee gets pollinated by bees and butterflies, while mammals like slow lorises, civets, and bats, as well as birds help control pests, enrich the soil, and spread seeds. 

But as intensive agriculture and deforestation accelerate, these ecosystems are collapsing. If we don’t act, cacao and coffee—along with many other crops—could disappear within this century.

Bringing Forests Back to Life

Empty forests are of little value to anyone. Rainforests aren’t just trees – they’re complex, living networks where plants, animals, and people depend on one another. When we protect these connections, we keep forests healthy and we create stronger agricultural systems that work with nature, not against it.

This isn’t just theory. Numerous field studies show that farms using diverse planting methods and integrating wildlife are more resilient to climate change and more profitable. Projects like the Wildlife Friendly Coffee Programmes run by the Little Fireface Project and SwaraOwa Foundation in Java demonstrate that biodiversity-friendly farming can benefit both farmers and nature, leading to improved incomes and protecting endangered species. 

It's also remarkable how these initiatives are transforming cultural attitudes to wildlife. For centuries, certain wildlife species have been misunderstood, or even feared. Take the slow loris, a nocturnal primate with a venomous bite. In many areas, it has been stigmatised, yet through conservation programs, like the Little Fireface Project, communities have begun to appreciate its vital role in maintaining ecological balance, particularly in coffee cultivation. Now, farmers are building canopy bridges to let them move freely through coffee gardens.

Meanwhile, former hunters have turned into forest protectors, developing new passions like bird watching. As farms are rewilded, birds and other forms of biodiversity are returning to these areas. In Central Java, some have even introduced beekeeping, using native stingless bees—key pollinators for coffee – to strengthen yields while producing honey as an extra source of income.

These shifts in perspective are essential, because when farmers view wildlife as allies, they become conservationists themselves.

Why You Should Care 

One of the greatest challenges in conservation is making our global societies care and provide funding for wildlife preservation. Even if we all love iconic species like elephant and orangutan, we rarely associate their value with something more than their charisma, which is unlikely to foster real change.

It’s easy to ignore biodiversity loss – until it directly affects us. But what if the chocolate bar in your hand was the last one you’d ever eat? The extinction of cacao isn’t some distant possibility, but a likely outcome of drastic changes slowly unraveling in front of our eyes.

This is where Wildlife Friendly products, like coffee and wild cacao chocolate, become powerful tools for change. They don’t just fund conservation – they tell a story, showing how wildlife plays an essential role in our lives. Even if environmental concerns aren’t a top priority for most consumers, highlighting the superior quality and flavour of these products can drive demand and, in turn, support biodiversity.

A Call to Action 

The connection between wildlife and human well-being is clear. But unless we recognise and act on these benefits, we risk losing them. That’s why our approach at Kindred Forest is to work directly with farmers and indigenous communities, helping them integrate conservation into their livelihoods in a way that is economically viable.  

Now is the time to rethink conservation. Not as something that happens in isolation, but as something deeply interconnected with the way we grow, trade, and consume.

Wildlife isn’t just a part of the landscape – it’s an essential partner in our food systems, our health, and our future. Now more than ever, we need to protect it.