EP12 | Pravin Bhagwat — Turning Systems Thinking into Forests, Livelihoods & Sustainability Platform

In this episode of The Root Cause, Pravin Bhagat reflects on a journey that moves from building complex corporate systems to restoring forests, livelihoods, and dignity on the ground. What began as a personal search for clean food and meaningful work gradually shaped 14 Trees - an approach to sustainability rooted in trust, long-term thinking, and community participation. The conversation explores breaking the rural–urban divide, reimagining forests as shared systems of care and livelihood, and designing frameworks where communities are not “served” but actively shape outcomes. If you’re interested in how human–nature interfaces can evolve through collaboration, patience, and responsibility, this episode offers quiet but powerful insights worth listening to. 🌱 More About 14 Trees Email - [email protected] Website - 14trees.org Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/14_trees?ig... Root Cause – A Podcast by Neil & Momo Productions! 🌍💚 Root Cause dives deep into the environmental challenges we face and the inspiring solutions that can help heal our world. From regenerative farming to climate activism, join us as we explore the real root causes of the climate crisis and how we can collectively create a greener future together. 🔔 Subscribe now and be part of the change! 📍 Follow us on: 📸 Instagram: /neilandmomo 📘 Facebook: /neilandmomo 🌐 Website: https://www.neilandmomo.com ____________________________________________________________________ CREDITS : Director - Mrunmayee Deshpande Host - Swapnil Rao DOP - Prathamesh Rangole Drone Operator - Aditya Kamble Gimbal Operator - Prasanna Rangole Camera Team - Rahul Narvekar Hitesh Gosavi Tushar Udeg Aumkar Pawaskar Mahesh Mane Audiography - Nikhil Lanjekar Production Sound - Kshitij Sutar Logo Music - Mayur Raut Art Director - Neha Kanekar DI - Abhijit Abde Editor - Anagha Mhaiskar Social Media & Graphics - Anagha Mhaiskar ____________________________________________________________________ #RootCausePodcast #PravinBhagat #14Trees #EcologicalRestoration #CommunityForestry #Sustainability #Livelihoods #RegenerativePractices #NatureBasedSolutions #Ecology #ForestRestoration #ClimateAction #RuralUrban #PeopleAndNature #rootcausepodcast [Root Cause, Podcast, Pravin Bhagat, 14 Trees, Ecological Restoration, Forest Restoration, Sustainability, Community Livelihoods, Regenerative Development, Nature Based Solutions, Ecology, Climate Action, Rural Development, People Centric Design, India Sustainability, Neil & Momo] 00:00 – Highlights 01:00 – Intro 02:57 – From Corporate Life to Forest Restoration 07:41 – Curiosity, First Principles & the First Steps 11:44 – Water Scarcity: The First Real Challenge 14:42 – Rejecting Cement & Plastic Solutions 17:34 – Failure, Fire & Starting Again 19:34 – Scaling from 4 acres to 2,000 acres 22:42 – Local Workforce & Life During COVID 25:02 – Fear of Forest Laws & Land Ownership 28:53 – Digging Ponds & Creating Water Security 36:11 – Neighbour’s Land, Grazing & Fire Conflict 40:04 – Faculty Grove: Turning Conflict into Collaboration 43:25 – Restoring Degraded Hilltops 47:29 – Water as the Real Budget 50:34 – Simple Plantation & Soil Building Method 54:30 – Can Economic Growth Come from Restoration? 58:24 – Tree Adoption & Gifting Model 1:09:52 – Why It’s Called “14 Trees” 1:23:47 – Conclusion