Walking Through Regeneration: Join Dr. Anna Gee in Yucatán’s Forests

When Dr. Anna Gee steps into the forest, she doesn’t just walk – she moves with purpose, eyes scanning the canopy, tracing the patterns of light filtering through leaves, and noticing the smallest signs of new life. Around her, mosquitoes swarm relentlessly, but Anna’s focus never wavers. She is in her element: the forest is alive, and so is her passion for restoring it.

To call Anna simply a Project Manager for Forest Restoration would be an understatement. With a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford and a PhD from Imperial College London, her expertise spans forest restoration research in Scotland, Peru, Bonaire, and Mexico. Her doctoral thesis, The Restoration of Community Assembly Processes in Degraded Tropical Dry Forests, explored the ecological barriers to natural forest recovery – a knowledge foundation she now applies in the field at Plant-for-the-Planet’s Yucatán restoration site.

From her colleagues’ perspective, Anna is a force of dedication and insight. As the team labors under the tropical sun – planting hundreds of trees each day, cutting back invasive grasses, and tracking every seedling’s growth – Anna guides the decisions that shape the forest’s future. Sometimes this means allowing a plot of land to recover naturally, sometimes it requires hands-on intervention. Every decision balances science, patience, and respect for nature.

“I always make sure I have a sombrero and plenty of water,” Anna says of her field routine, “and repellent for the clouds of mosquitoes. It’s tough work, but the team manages to get so much done.” Each day, each team member plants 400-450 trees, resulting in a total of about 20,000 trees per day, while GIS coordinator Antony updates maps in real time, tracking every sapling. For Anna, seeing these changes in the forest she has studied for years is profoundly rewarding.

Since joining the Yucatán project in January 2022, Anna has witnessed tropical trees growing faster than she ever imagined. “Some of the seedlings I first planted are now taller than me,” she marvels. “This forest is very special to me because I’ve spent years learning its species, its rhythms, its quirks. Being able to apply that knowledge to restore it is incredibly meaningful.”

Anna Gee’s work is more than reforestation – it’s a commitment to doing it right. By blending rigorous scientific research with hands-on fieldwork, she ensures that every tree planted contributes to a thriving, resilient ecosystem. Walking with Anna through the Yucatán, you don’t just see a forest growing – you see a vision being realized, one tree at a time.