Can you bring to life how the last 6 months have gone for you as a project leader?
Bolivia is going through one of the hardest economic and political crises in its history. During this time, the focus has shifted away from the environment. This has made our work more urgent than ever because most of the communities that are impacted by the economic crisis are our low-income indigenous communities, and in the Uru-Uru Team, we believe that working for the good of our environment can also help us thrive in these difficult economic times.
In the past six months, we’ve led 5 workshops with local schools. Supporting children to learn about agriculture and adopt principles of sustainability to support their families. The results have been great! We are already picking potatoes from the community gardens and using them in the school kitchen as a mid-morning breakfast meal.
This year we have had a lot of rain, which has been really beneficial; the mirror of the lake has grown to the other side, and there has been an increased presence of the beautiful Andean Flamingoes. There is still contamination, but with the lake full, we are motivated to keep working to restore it.
On a personal note, I also recently graduated from Princeton University and wrote my thesis on the impact of mining on indigenous communities, and explored how we, as communities, can advocate for the rights of Pachamama (Mother Earth) to be upheld and respected, from local legal systems to international courts. I was very glad to use my community as an example and show how community work drives change. Being able to say that and knowing that you’re involved in it has just been truly rewarding.
I’m really glad to come back to Bolivia, get inspired even more for our restoration mission and put my body to action for our Uru Uru lake!!
What has changed for you and the project since winning the prize? Were any of these outcomes unexpected or surprising?
Working with MakerChange for the film has been instrumental. Showcasing this kind of work can be really challenging. The video has brought a lot of change, like being confident in showcasing our work for more opportunities, funding and collaboration. A while back, an organisation for microplastic cleaning reached out offering funding and a partnership because they had seen our video and were eager to learn more about our work – we hope this partnership works out! These are examples of things that have come our way, and I think that has to do with the visibility from The Iris Project.
I have also really appreciated the mentorship with Alicia and Sumarni; they always check in, and their interest in our work has been amazing. Working with Sumanri and Alicia has surprised me in that they can really speak to my experience as an environmental activist from the global south. It really is tailored mentoring that provides me support and inspiration to keep on this tough path to take care of Pachamama.
How has running the project changed the way you think, lead or act in your community?
The past few months, I was still a student and I was not on the ground. I had a lot of opportunities to talk about the Uru Uru team’s work and what we were doing. This changed my perspective on how to lead. It is really important to me to let others’ light shine before my own. I tried to prioritise what the team were doing and I was a channel for their work.
Returning to Bolivia, my role has changed. I’m really excited about it and getting to shadow the work of the members who are here every day. Even though I’ve been very involved in structuring our work, it’s also the implementation of our project that looks different on the ground from the time I started it or when I would come.
I think that when you contribute naturally to something, your work naturally shines on its own. That is something that I have definitely been learning and something that I’m very excited to learn as I now have the privilege to be fully based in person this year.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone beginning their journey as an environmental leader what would that be?
Most of the environmental work that people are doing around the world not only drives environmental change but also societal change.
This is something I have been learning and being impressed with by the Uru Uru team’s impact – driving environmental change AND societal change. The impact we are having is contributing to fewer families migrating out of their communities, who previously would have left due to the impacts of climate change. This has different consequences, such as the local socio-economic development of our communities, but also avoids the proliferation of gender-based violence that is often so present in urban areas.
Know that the work you are doing is all connected. At this point in the world, every issue we face is intrinsically connected to the environment. As Fausto Reynaga, a Bolivian Indigenous thinker, once reflected: when in space, a human can no longer breathe naturally because we are meant to live on Earth, a planet that so generously gives us life. The least we can do, then, is to honour that gift by giving back to the Earth, by conserving life, and when possible, restoring it..
Finally, what are some exciting things coming up for yourself and your project?
Something very exciting we are focusing on is increasing our restoration efforts. Totoras are incredible allies in our restoration efforts as they are able to sequester carbon and absorb contaminants. We did a study with the last round of Totoras, we planted 10 hectares in the lake and through lab testing found the plants had a contamination rate of 30% reflecting the amount of pollution from the water.
As a byproduct of the Totoras we pulled out, we are working to develop beautiful handcrafted items using the dried Totoras to commercialise them and sell them to tourists during the high season in February. In the same spirit, we are also working hard this year to navigate the economic crisis facing our country and explore entry into the carbon credits market. Our project aims to restore and protect the environment, and if the community and local families can be recognised and compensated for their contributions, by strengthening their local and circular economies, we can not only help them thrive during these difficult times, but also inspire more people to join and support our efforts.
We’re also really excited because Lake Poopó, once the second largest lake in Bolivia before it disappeared about 10 years ago due to climate change, is showing signs of recovery. After the heavy rain we experienced this year, the lakes’ mirror has returned, and fish have come back! This is a huge opportunity to collaborate as a community and apply our solution from the Uru Uru Lake to the Poopó Lake. “Recently, we had the opportunity to collaborate on a film about the history of Lake Poopó, resulting in the short movie “Qotzuñi—a powerful piece that has even been submitted for Oscar consideration. We hope this film will raise greater visibility around the challenges faced by Lake Poopó and Lake Uru Uru—both high-altitude lakes deeply impacted by climate change and pollution—and help generate the support needed for their restoration.
