A Monkey’s Guide to Deforestation

The Earth’s rainforests are rapidly being destroyed. Covering 6% of the Earth’s surface, rainforests are vital for the dwindling species they provide sanctuary for as well as the health of the planet.

I choose to base A Monkey’s Guide to Deforestation on the world's largest, biologically diverse and most publicised rainforest, the Amazon. But we must also take action on behalf of the forests which have a quieter media presence, forests which also face catastrophic deforestation: the Cerrado, Congo Basin, New Guinea, Borneo…

I selected the Uakari monkey as the protagonist of the story not only for its vulnerability as a species and its dependence on the Amazon, but also because of its ugliness. Usually cute animals are used to make us care, but I wanted to see what happened when a not so cute, sassy monkey was pleading on behalf of all to be saved.

Of course I had to give her a voice, the comic book medium being a perfect place to see deforestation from the perspective of those who do not usually have a voice. She is the witness and guide. Time and space is in her hands.