In the world more than 1.6 billion people depends on forests and their natural biodiversity for livelihood. Where indigenous forest communities live in forests there the forests are usually in good condition. Areas of a higher concentration of diverse and distinct local indigenous cultures, languages and ways of life tend to be areas of high biodiversity as these cultures have been particularly adapted to sustain the local forest ecosystems. Like in Baka pygmi communities in Cameroon in Africa, where the forests survived in good condition as long as the pygmies lived there.

We can learn to live as Earth's friends if we live with that how Earth itself grows - how and where each thing grows and finds its place upon the Earth and its significance for the needs of Earth's shared life.

The familiarity with what lives or grows in the forests, where and how, is what makes a place to be a home for Bakas. Just like trees make their emplacement into a site providing shadow, shelter, rest, fruit, bark, medicine, etc. Forest as a whole can be perceived as a home without a need to have its spaces physically much transformed by culture. While roaming the forest, often without a particular goal in mind, Bakas live with the other surrounding forest life giving to it attention, care and nurture.

Baka dwelling builds mentally the natural environment as a home by sharing it with other beings. Bakas believe in some kind of equivalence of all living beings for sustaining the wide diversity of life. In mythical time human and animals and other beings have shared a common language as friends and neighbours.

When Bakas are asked how they manage to find their way where they go in the forest, they give the example of trees which grow in families. Baka word for a 'friend' or 'close family' is equally applied to a group of trees. Like human and other beings, trees also "like to be where their friends are".

Trees have their own homes, they grow in places that suit them and attract other animals and plants for which the tree becomes a home. By knowing where different tree families settle, Bakas get a sense of orientation. They keep up a "dialogue" with the environment, making Baka feel like being 'at home' in their forest.