Latino Conservation Week, an initiative of Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), was developed to celebrate the Latino community’s commitment to conservation and engage communities in outdoor recreational activities and stewardship. This annual celebration provides us with an opportunity to take a look into the critical conservation and advocacy performed by Latino researchers and how we can better support them in their work.
From July 20-25 COMPASS will highlight the experiences of Latino voices making an impact in conservation science through a series of blog posts. This week we will feature four stories by Adelle Monteblanco, Hem Nalini Morzaria-Luna, Juliano Palacios Abrantes, and Bray Beltrán.
Dr. Adelle Monteblanco, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Middle Tennessee State University, describes what Latino Conservation Week means to her and what we can do better as a field to support Latino students.
Dr. Hem Nalini Morzaria-Luna, a marine and conservation researcher, details her research and how even though the place she calls home and her approach to conservation have shifted, it’s given her new ways to solve ecological puzzles and a new place to form roots.
Dr. Juliano Palacios Abrantes, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, describes his experience as an immigrant and a researcher and stresses the importance of giving back. Juliano illustrates the knowledge and capacity gap between the global North and South and why giving back to Latin America is a priority for him.
Bray Beltrán, an ecologist, provides insight into his identity as a conservation researcher in America and what direction he thinks the field should move toward to create a more equitable future.
Latino Conservation Week gives us all a chance to not only recognize Latino contributions to environmental preservation, but also to consider what each of us can do to improve equity for all. We’re excited to share these stories with you throughout the week.
