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.
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.

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.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲?
𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 [𝐢] 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫[𝐥]𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬
𝐃𝐫. 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐲 & 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐨

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.

**
𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫[𝐥]𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 is developed with the support of the Darwin Initiative.

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.

At the heart of this episode is Will’s participatory rope-making installation, where natural materials—harvested by his own hands—become tools for collective storytelling. Through this tactile process, participants are guided to engage with the land and its textures, creating moments of shared discovery.

We also share a powerful, unplanned exchange between Will and Ali, a local farmer and environmental activist, captured amidst the rhythm of the workshop. This conversation, flowing across languages, becomes a testament to the strength of creative practice as a bridge between diverse perspectives and experiences.

Join us as we explore how art can hold the threads of belonging, offering us ways to connect across cultural, ecological, and personal landscapes.

About William Bock
William Bock is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the intersections of culture, landscape, and identity. Using photography, painting, sound, performance, and installation, he investigates the connections between people, land, and ecology.
A member of the Wilderness Art Collective, Bock is also a founding member of the award-winning Dig Collective, with projects showcased at Art Safiental Biennale (Switzerland) and PEER Gallery (London). He has produced and curated exhibitions, workshops, and residencies internationally, and previously co-directed the theatre collective Strangeworks, delivering projects for the Barbican and New Walsall Art Gallery.

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/
• https://gaiafoundation.org/kenya-decolonisation-climate-change-and-earth-jurisprudence/
• https://globaltapestryofalternatives.org/