Posts by Wanda Bautista
Burning Forests Protects Salmon—and Other Lessons I Learned from the Yurok
In advance of an international climate change summit, Wanda Bautista accompanied a group of communicators and indigenous leaders from more than 30 countries on a trip to the Yurok Reservation in northern California. Here, she reflects on what she learned.
Healing the Wounds of Slavery in Brazil
Brazil just legally recognized the largest Afro-descendent community in the country.
Firefighters of the Forest
At a time when the world is desperately looking for solutions to limit and control forest fires, Guatemala’s forest communities demonstrate that the solution is quite simple: hand over control of forests to the people who live in them.
The Human Cost of Conservation: “Yellowstone Model” Wreaks Havoc Abroad
In the highlands of north-central Guatemala, old-school conservation methods are causing serious problems for indigenous communities who have sustainably harvested and cared for the area for hundreds of years.
What if Defending Your Home Got You Killed?
In 2015, a hidden war claimed the lives of more than three people each week, according to a new report by NGO Global Witness. The cause of this war: land.
Burness Mourns Killing of Indigenous Activist Berta Cáceres
We are saddened and outraged by the assassination of Berta Cáceres, Indigenous and environmental rights activist from Honduras. She was and is an inspiration to all of us.
Indigenous Communities Bring Mahogany Back
What happens when a government turns over forest conservation efforts to the people who live off the resources the forest provides?
In Bonn, Forest Peoples Share Their Stories
Indigenous leaders from Africa, Asia and the Americas came together in Bonn to share their experiences at the frontlines of an often deadly battle to guard tropical forests. A recent report suggests these conflicts kill at least two people every week.
Red Tape Cripples Global Sustainable Forestry Model
Although the last 25 years have seen significant strides in the development of community forestry in Mexico, a new study by the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry reveals that a web of burdensome rules and regulations are preventing these communities from legally and sustainably harvesting their forests.
Honduran Indigenous Leader Wins Goldman Environmental Prize
Berta Cáceres is not like most people. Her close friends and colleagues carry around a eulogy for her, even though she is very much alive and just won the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize.
