Speaking for the Trees: How Environmental Communications Protects the Amazon Rainforest
In a personality quiz that matches the player to one of Earth’s natural elements, bilingual gender specialist Carolina Rosero earned the title of “Mother of all Nature.” Rosero can be described as a force to be reckoned with, tackling women's empowerment and environmental conservation by spotlighting Indigenous communities,
Rosero, along with The University of Texas at Austin Public Relations alumna, directs the Amazon Program at Conservation International. The initiative works to give resource support to the Native women who spearhead preservation efforts for their pacha mama, Mother Earth.
“People need nature to thrive. Nature does not need people,” Rosero said, “but [Indigenous] people can't conserve their forest if they don't have money to attend to their basic needs.”
Conservation International relies on donors and endorsements. In environmental public relations, these stakeholders often want more than just dry science reports on deforestation. They seek stories and work to invest in people, according to Rosero. By making science personable, she builds relationships through the Amazon Program, highlighting the stories of the women who see tangible benefits from Conservation International.
The non-profit has opportunities such as the Amazonia Indigenous Women’s Fellowship, a $10,000 grant involving over 50 Indigenous women from the seven countries in the Amazon Rainforest. The grant works to alleviate the impacts of climate change while respecting Indigenous ancestral knowledge.
“To address biodiversity loss, nonprofit organizations [are] partnering with for-profit companies, national and local governments and actively engaging local communities in decision-making processes,” Rosero said.
With their programs, Rosero said Conservation International is working to use their public relations skills to address the bigger picture.
“PR is beyond ‘What are we trying to sell?’” Rosero said. “It’s ‘Buy into this, believe in this, commit to this, be a part of this cause and join our mission.”
Through networking opportunities and leadership training hosted by the organization, a space develops to voice the concerns of the population experiencing environmental devastations firsthand.
In these communities where matriarchs are less common, Amazon Program Fellows pioneer in calling for financial literacy and economic independence for the women of their Indigenous nationalities. Using their surrounding environment as their pharmacy, school and church, the women demonstrate an intrinsic sense of protection and conservation that makes them a strong ally for Rosero’s work.
Katty Guatatoca, from the Kichwa Indigenous group near the Pastaza province in Ecuador, is one of the program financial aid recipients. She is also the founder of Awana Collective, her own initiative working as a bioeconomy enterprise where women upcycle organic materials like seeds or wood into artisan goods.
“The fellowship and all it entailed helped the women of Awana Collective, and beyond, to realize they could be capable of autonomous decisions,” Guatatoca said. “We can see ourselves in positions of change with our contributions towards conservation.”
Rosero said her core mission at Conservation International gives way for women like Guatatoca to be inspired and motivated by each other. Guided by the women’s best interest at heart, Rosero works to pilot the program in Native communities with consideration for their various societal structures.
“Most of [the women], if not all, have faced either political or domestic violence and sexual assault,” she said. “There are cultural issues we have to be cautious of in how we approach them, because sometimes by wanting to do good, we can cause harm.”
A 2021 article from the World Wildlife Fund explains how the same challenges that threaten the environment also threaten the Indigenous people living in it, like external pressure from developmental infrastructure. When the ability for Indigenous people to manage their own land is undermined, these groups become isolated.
“We must have an integrated landscapes approach, linking good governance with ambitious restoration goals and sustainable production that reduces deforestation, while supporting livelihoods of those living in the most biodiverse places on the planet,” Rosero said during her presentation.
Photo Courtesy of Carolina Rosero