Field Storytelling & Production

Bringing guardians of the Amazon coast to the global stage

With Brazil set to host COP30 in Belém in November 2025, Rare saw an opportunity to bring greater visibility to the coastal communities protecting one of the Amazon’s most important ecosystems. My goal was to develop a package of stories and multimedia content that Rare’s development and policy teams could use in the lead-up to the conference and throughout COP30 to spotlight local community members on the frontlines.

Centering community voices

In July 2025, I led a 10-day storytelling trip along Brazil’s Amazon Coast, traveling to Belém, Marajó Island, and Curuçá. Working closely with the Rare Brazil team, I shaped the editorial direction around two themes: the economic and cultural value of mangroves, and the diverse network of local communities working to protect them.

In the month leading up to the trip, I coordinated with the team to identify and schedule interviews with a diverse range of voices, including local fishers, youth, women leaders, fisheries council presidents, and partners at the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation. I also hired a local photographer and videographer to document the stories, ensuring we had the creative talent on the ground to capture the region and its conservation work authentically.

During production, I served as creative producer, guiding the visual direction and working with our creative partners to capture action-oriented footage that showed community-led conservation in practice. After the trip, I helped shape the video style and scripts for two short-form videos featuring the mangroves and the people protecting them. I also wrote two long-form stories: one that showcased the guardians of the mangroves and another that explored the value of mangroves and blue carbon through a more scientific lens. Photography and b-roll from the trip provided additional material for social media posts and LinkedIn thought leadership pieces.

The impact

Together, these stories and assets formed a multimedia package that Rare used to support its communications around COP30. The work came full circle when Rare brought one of the community members featured in our storytelling to the conference, giving her an opportunity to share her perspective on the global stage. We were able to use the materials to introduce her story to hundreds of audience members, connecting the people doing the work on the ground with the policymakers and decision-makers discussing its future.