Global Diversity Foundation Podcasts

Rewor(l)ding Conservation #4: Perspectives from the Grassroots

What role do NGOs play in shaping the future of conservation, and how are they experienced by the communities they aim to support? In this episode of Rewor(l)ding Conservation, we bring together two grassroots leaders, Preety Sharma from Nagaland, India, and Jupta Itoewaki from Suriname, for an open and grounded conversation rooted in lived experience. Through personal stories, they reflect on moments of collaboration, tension, and learning in their engagements with conservation NGOs. The discussion moves beyond simple critique to explore the conditions under which NGOs can become meaningful allies. It looks at the kinds of relationships, practices, and shifts needed for conservation efforts to be guided by trust, reciprocity, and local knowledge, with communities recognized as leaders rather than beneficiaries. Looking ahead, the episode also invites listeners to imagine possible futures for conservation in a time of ecological urgency and social transformation, and to consider what might change if conservation were approached as a practice of care, connection, and coexistence.

Rewor(l)ding Conservation #3: At the Shores of the River Tagus (bonus)

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.

Rewor(l)ding Conservation #3: At the Shores of the River Tagus

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.

Patchwork of Belonging #6: Growing Freedom

Watch the Enligh-subtitled version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77zlFHkYbjA [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. Joined by the Gifted Mothers of Dar Bellarj, the workshop centered the liberating acts of zine-making and planting as tools for community connection and environmental awareness. 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 For over two decades, Dar Bellarj has been a cornerstone of cultural and intergenerational exchange in Marrakech. Rooted in its community, this vital foundation provides a space for creativity, learning, and connection. It has been a pivotal partner of our Harvest Festival, hosting and co-curating workshops, markets, concerts, and more since the very first edition. About “How to Grow a Book” A unique workshop/installation blending the spirit of a seed swap with the hands-on creativity of a print room that took place during Harvest Festival in May 2024.  Participants and visitor reflected on shared agri/cultures, exchanged plant knowledge, and participated in the creation of a communal publication. About Heiba Lamara An artist, gardener, and publisher, Heiba Lamara explores the intersections of zine-making, ecologies, and community storytelling. She is Assistant Editor of OOMK Zine and co-founder of Rabbits Road Press, bringing independent publishing practices to life across disciplines.

Rewor(l)ding Conservation #2: The Point of Impact

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. To deepen this conversation, the second act of our podcast also brings in the voice of Resson Kantai Duff, Portfolio Funding Director at Maliasili, whose thoughtful and committed work has profoundly shaped the thinking of many in the conservation field. She unpacks the troubling reality that less than 1% of global philanthropic funding for conservation actually reaches local communities and grassroots organizations — despite these actors being on the frontlines of environmental protection. While criticising the dominant funding systems that continue to marginalize indigenous and local voices, together these voices call for a thorough review of our very own relationship with nature and its “conservation”, one that needs to move towards a radically different and more expansive way of belonging in nature, and to this planet. ** 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫[𝐥]𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 is developed with the support of the Darwin Initiative.