For six years, a group of protestors in northwest Germany took a unique approach to try to save an ancient forest from destruction—they lived in it.

But in mid to late September, those protesters were forced out by police. Now, the ancient forest is caught in a legal battle between environmental groups trying to prevent deforestation and German energy company RWE, which wants to clear large swaths of the forest for brown coal mining operations. As of last week, a German court has temporarily blocked RWE from clearing portions of the forest.

For the past two years, German photographer Daniel Chatard visited the protestor community to document their efforts firsthand and explore their motivations.

The community in Hambach forest was