An invitation by Margarida Mendes to engage with deep listening, opening our ears to the flows and ebbs of the river, guided by meditative scores that bring us to an embodied relationality with its fluxes and pulses.

Best appreciated in the company of a water body. 

For this new episode of “Rewor(l)ding Conservation”, we invited curator, researcher and pedagogue Margarida Mendes to open up her sonic archives around the Tagus river in Portugal, unpacking her practice as a multidisciplinary researcher exploring how sound can be used not only to describe, but also to sense changing ecosystems.

Situating herself in the watery world of the Tagus wetland, and drawing from her PhD research “Sensorial Ecologies”, in this two-part episode we follow Mendes’ voice as she introduces her work around how sonic practices can be mobilised towards ecological and community reparation and conservation. Her storytelling offers an example of how listening can shape one’s understanding of the environment, mediated by sensing infrastructures, interspecies interactions, and the impacts of extractive industries.

The second part of the episode is an invitation to engage with deep listening, opening our ears to the flows and ebbs of the river, guided by meditative scores that bring us to an embodied relationality with its fluxes and pulses.

Watch the Enligh-subtitled version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77zlFHkYbjA

This episode takes us to Dar Bellarj Foundation in the heart of Marrakech's medina, where a three-day exploration of DIY publishing, plants, and propagation workshop was led by artist and publisher Heiba Lamara.

Listen in as the mothers read their heartfelt contributions to the collective zine created during the workshop and share sincere reflections about connection to land. Heiba Lamara offers insight into her interdisciplinary practice, weaving gardening and publishing into a vibrant methodology for collective storytelling and ecological care.

About Dar Bellarj

About “How to Grow a Book”

About Heiba Lamara

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭.

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 [𝐢𝐢] 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫[𝐥]𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 

𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢 𝐃𝐮𝐟𝐟 (𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢), 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚 (𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐑𝐃), 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐳 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫 & 𝐑𝐞𝐲𝐧𝐢 𝐏𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐧 (𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐤𝐚𝐧 𝐘𝐚𝐤𝐢).

“The work that indigenous communities and local organisations do when it comes to landscape conservation and climate adaptation is often invisible, and yet it is what is holding us. That is the point of impact.” — Resson Kantai Duff

In this second episode of “Rewor(l)ding Conservation”, former participants of GDF’s Conservation & Communities Fellowship — Beatriz Murer, Reyni Palohoen, and Valery Binda, share insights from their respective fields, reflecting on the unique challenges and tensions that arise in their efforts to protect both indigenous communities and the wildlife they live alongside. Their stories navigate the complex interplay between local realities and broader systemic issues — particularly the structural barriers around funding and recognition that grassroots activists continue to face within the global conservation sector.

**

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?

Over the past years we have seen the growing recognition of the role played by community-based conservation in stewarding landscapes and sustaining their communities. Yet, the increasing bureaucratisation of this practice and way of living raises the question: is today’s conservation part of the same old story? A story dominated by modernity and coloniality? If so, and following Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, how could we ‘hospice’ it?

The opening act of our podcast series “𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫[𝐥]𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧”, explores some of these matters through the voices of Dr. Carolyn Finney and Global Diversity Foundation programme coordinator Emily Caruso. Drawing from personal experience, life-long research and work in the field, Carolyn and Emily offer more critical questions than straightforward answers, opening up the grounds to explore how we can step out of the sand-box in which conservation has thus far played to move into an open field that looks radically different.

**

In this episode of Patchwork of Belonging, we immerse ourselves in the practice of interdisciplinary artist William Bock. Will’s work spans cultures, landscapes, and identities, weaving together threads of community, ecology, and tradition. His approach invites us to reflect on the deep connections between people and the environments they inhabit.

In this episode, Fayçal and Nessie sat down with four extraordinary women: Moeumu from Samoa, Andrea from Bolivia, Abigail from Guatemala, and Kanto from Madagascar, at the International Socieity for Ethnobiology Congress, in May 2024.

Each woman, leaders in their communities, shared their lived experiences of practicing conservation rooted in community and deep connection to the lands they fight to protect. From the Pacific islands to the Andean highlands, their stories weave a rich tapestry of resilience, cultural heritage, and a shared commitment to safeguarding our planet’s future.Through our conversations, they reflect on their shared and individual journeys—stories of overcoming barriers, sustaining cultural traditions, and creating spaces for belonging. Whether navigating the challenges of resource access, advocating for cultural preservation, or reimagining conservation to center community wisdom, these women demonstrate the power of collective action and actioning localised solutions.

Their work personifies how grass-roots, community conservation is not only about protecting land but is also about nurturing the people, knowledge, and relationships that sustain it and have done so for millennia.As fellows of the Conservation & Communities Fellowship (CCF), these women are part of a transformative initiative that uplifts grassroots leaders from the Global South. Through skills development, leadership growth, and access to global funding networks, the fellowship helps address systemic inequalities in conservation. Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities currently receive less than 1% of climate funding globally, and African organizations receive just 5–10% of private philanthropic funding for the continent. The CCF is closing these gaps, providing a platform for leaders like Moeumu, Andrea, Abigail, and Kanto to thrive and amplify their work on the world stage.

Tune in for an intimate and inspiring dialogue that highlights the stories of courage and unwavering dedication of these grassroots conservationists—and discover how their sense of belonging shapes their vision for a healthier, more equitable planet.

Join us as we embark on a rich journey into the heart of Tharakan culture with Simon Mitambo, an Earth Jurisprudence Practitioner, member of our Global Environments Network (GEN) and co-founder of the Society for Alternative Learning and Transformation (SALT). Simon, a proud Tharakan man and ancestral wisdom expert, has dedicated his life to restoring the cultural and ecological resilience of his community. 

In this episode, recorded at the Bantu Mountain Lodge during the Global Tapestry of Alternatives General Assembly, Simon takes us through the remarkable landscape of his ancestral land, nestled in the foothills of Mount Kenya. His community of Tharaka, with its rich red soil and abundance, continues to flourish through the revival of cultural practices, eco-cultural mapping, and deep-rooted community dialogues.  

Simon describes how his community’s knowledge of local medicinal plants and traditional practices sustained them through the challenges of COVID-19. In the podcast, you'll also hear the warm and unforgettable welcome we received from Simon's community, in the form of exciting songs and dances & a nourishing millet porridge served in carved calabashes.

Simon’s voice brings to life the resilience, wisdom, and generosity that are foundational to Tharakan culture. His dedication to nurturing these practices is an inspiring testament to the power of ancestral knowledge. Tune in for an episode that weaves together stories of land stewardship, cultural memory, and the undeniable force of community.

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Links to the different organisations mentioned in the episode:

• https://viacampesina.org/en/

Tune into this week’s episode as we dive into the heart of seed sovereignty and indigenous resilience with Talaa, also known as Milka Chepkorir Kuto. Talaa and her sisters, based near Kitale in Kenya, are working on an inspiring project to revive native seed varieties and establish community-driven plant nurseries—a beautiful act of resistance against the corporate grip on Kenya’s seed market.

Milka’s home, surrounded by lush palms and papayas, feels like a sanctuary. But the reality she shares is far from idyllic: over 80% of Kenya’s maize seeds come from the Kenyan Seed Company, a major GM player that has overtaken traditional farming practices. In our conversation, Talaa reflects on this struggle and the impact of what activist Leonida Odongo calls a “new colonization” through agricultural control and technology. Talaa’s words, grounded in her community’s fight for seed sovereignty, underscore a powerful truth: reclaiming indigenous practices is an act of defiance and hope.

As you listen, you’ll meet Milka’s sisters and hear their voices as they share their vision for a sustainable, resilient future. This episode is a testament to the power of community, sisterhood, and the deep roots of cultural identity in the face of adversity. Tune in for an uplifting journey into food sovereignty and the enduring spirit of indigenous knowledge.

Watch the Enligh-subtitled version with a visual creation by Kevin Le Dortz here: https://youtu.be/Q3oSc4naCsU

In this powerful inaugural episode of our new series "The Patchwork of Belonging", we journey through Morocco’s Al Haouz region, where communities are still grappling with the devastating impacts of the 2023 earthquake that struck the region, cause unfathomable damage. This catastrophe has left a once-marginalized region even more exposed to vulnerability.

Life in the Orchards offers a moving glimpse into the lives of those processing unimaginable loss. Through heartfelt testimonies, this episode captures the deep connection people hold with their ancestral lands—a bond that remains unbroken despite losing homes, livestock, crops, and even loved ones. It is a story of resilience and love for a land that has given so much and taken so much in return.

Join us as we listen to these voices, bearing witness to the intimate, layered and complex relationship between people and the landscapes they inhabit, one that transcends the material and delves into the spiritual and cultural roots of place.