Decades before the earth was photographed from space and understood as a unitary ecological reality, St. Barbe was practicing forestry from this global and holistic perspective. His view of the planet as a living organism anticipated the Gaia theory, which has provided such a fruitful base for scientific investigation in recent years.
Very early in his career, St. Barbe began to see the complex ecological interactions within the forest as a mirror of the organization of all life. He believed that life as a property of the whole ecosphere is maintained by the synergistic interrelationship of air, water, soil and organisms. From this vantage point, he saw forests as a vital organ within the self-regulating, life-sustaining whole. Knowing himself as part of this whole, he felt the urgency of protecting, conserving and planting trees. He felt we human beings must "play fair to the earth," to understand and serve this wholeness, which embraces all beings.
Understanding Ecological Thresholds
He also understood that ecological systems exhibit certain threshold responses. Thus removing too many trees over too large an area could dismantle a whole ecosystem and eventually disrupt the earth's capacity to maintain critical life-support functions. His views against clear-cutting reflected this understanding.
Similarly, planting trees could institute a regenerative cycle and bring degraded ecosystems to a threshold of recovery. These ecological concepts were only beginning to emerge in science at the time St. Barbe was describing and practicing them. The world is now struggling with the consequences of ignoring them.
Scientific, Aesthetic, and Spiritual Perception
It is in this context that St. Barbe's writings can be best appreciated. He possessed a scientific, aesthetic, and spiritual perception of the forest all at once. To the reader, he gives an appreciation of the wonder, beauty, and sacredness of nature, while at the same time teaching ecological principles and our responsibility to understand and respect them. To combine these dimensions he often relied on metaphors and parables, as in the case of his description of the forest as the living planet's skin.
A Vision of Harmony Between Humanity and Earth
In the final analysis, St. Barbe lived his philosophy and it lived him. His life stands out as a model for a world desperately in need of the capacity to relate to the earth with respect, care, and responsibility. His life and his writings together demonstrate a vision of harmony between humanity and the earth.
This is especially true of his efforts to tackle the Sahara Desert. The Sahara represented the largest man-made desert—an image of the destruction of the earth's bountiful life. The Green Front program against the desert symbolized the potential to bring people and nations into cooperation with each other, and with the forces of growth and healing in nature itself. It demonstrated a faith in the capacity of humanity to transcend the separatist, non-synergistic tendencies of its nature.
In this sense, his life invites human beings to become a force in guiding the evolution of life. His own integration of science and religion led him to see the potential for developing a mature planetary civilization based on ecological and spiritual principles. Fulfilling this potential remains the challenge of our age.