We launched the Guardians of Biodiversity project with a clear idea: to allow the stories of Indigenous women from different regions of Latin America to serve as bridges between realities, values, and narratives. Living bridges, woven through words, capable of connecting territories, memories, and ways of inhabiting the world.

Author: Laura Soto

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Each story reflects the intimate relationship between its author and the natural environment of her community. It is within this relationship that the fundamental role of these women as guardians of biodiversity is recognized. Their transformations, perspectives, and lived experiences are translated into children’s stories that sow curiosity, sensitivity, and care from early childhood.

The stories were written by six women who are now active members of the Meli network:
Yazuri Reynosa (Huasteca Veracruzana, Mexico), Luzia Cruwakwyj (Krahô people, Brazil), Gabriela Martínez (Zapotec people, Mexico), Gloria Sharup (Shuar people, Ecuador), Cacica Marciane Pereira (Kokáma people, Brazil), and Shirlley Mamani (Aymara people, Peru).

In addition to Portuguese, Spanish, and German, the stories were also written in the Indigenous languages of the authors, with the intention of preserving ancestral languages and later sharing the books within the authors’ own communities.

With the support of SEZ – Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg, the International Development Cooperation Foundation of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, these stories took shape and were presented to children in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, opening a space for encounter between cultures that may seem distant, yet are deeply connected through nature.

A creative process rooted in accompaniment

The creative process of the Guardians of Biodiversity did not begin with this project alone but is the result of a longer journey. Several of the authors had already explored their ideas during the first edition of our Pollinators Program, through storytelling workshops. Later, thanks to the project coordination and the close accompaniment of Camila Saloto, each author received personalized support to write her story at her own pace and from her own worldview.

As Camila Saloto expresses:

“In the creative process of the Guardians of Biodiversity, writing affirms itself as a gesture of recovering memory and caring for life.”

Camila Saloto

From the project coordination, Gabino Damián Jiménez Martínez, a Zapotec Indigenous leader, highlights the collective dimension of the process:

“As a coordinator, I love being able to support the writers with ideas for their texts. It is a mutual learning process, not only among them, but throughout the entire group, as we listen to each story from its own worldview.”

Gabino Damián Jiménez Martínez

He summarizes the spirit of the project with an image that runs through it all:

“Stories are like bees that carry pollen from one mind to another, making our hearts bloom and leaving seeds in our souls.”

Gabino Damián Jiménez Martínez

When stories travel and flourish

A key part of the project was bringing these stories to international contexts, using children’s storytelling as a tool to value biodiversity both within Indigenous communities and in other parts of the world.

Ana Rosa López, who led storytelling workshops with children in German schools, shares her experience:

“Telling stories to children is an experience of mutual learning. Children are spontaneous and attentive listeners, and the storyteller must respond to that spontaneity in the same rhythm, without being constrained by a pre-established plan or program.”

Ana Rosa López

For Marciane, taking part in this project meant strengthening her identity and recognizing the power that lies in her way of seeing the world:

“Putting my name on this story felt like growing roots. Writing for the Guardians of Biodiversity project helped me realize that my voice can also tell stories. It was a special process that reinforced the importance of believing in my writing and in the strength of narratives born from care for nature.”

Marciane Pereira

During the final months of 2025, Ana Rosa de Lima and Ana Rosa López visited schools and groups of children, creating spaces for cultural exchange through storytelling in Mannheim, Karsruhe and Schelklingen. On these occasions, stories originally written in another cultural context were shared with children, offering a glimpse into ways of life, images, and traditions from distant territories.

Following the storytelling sessions, the children took part in a series of creative and educational activities designed to deepen their understanding of the themes explored in the stories. Beyond these encounters, the books were also shared with partner organizations and schools in Heidelberg, Freiburg, Bad Wurzach, Biberach, Bretten, Pfinztal and Rot an der Rot, allowing the stories to continue circulating across different educational spaces.

Translating without losing the soul

The translation of the stories into German was another key moment of the project. Daniel Arruda, translator from Spanish and Portuguese into German, explains:

“The translation of the Guardians of Biodiversity stories into German was guided by respect for the complexity of the worldview contained in the texts and for the child audience that would access these literary narratives. We carried out a careful process to bring Indigenous perspectives closer to the German context, aiming to broaden the horizons of young readers and expand the reach of Indigenous cultures.”

Daniel Arruda

The authors: writing from territory and language

For Yazuri Reynosa, author of Me trepo y me aviento, the writing process was a deeply personal journey:

“The process of writing a story began with the opportunity that Meli encouraged me to take. In my community, when I looked at a tree, everything made sense. Between memories of my childhood and that tree, a clear idea for my story began to take shape. Having literary accompaniment was a true privilege.”

Yazuri Reynosa

For Shirlley Mamani, an Aymara author from Peru, the creation of her story also sparked the initiative to share it with children from her own territory. The presentation of her book took place at an Indigenous school in Copapujo, a community near Yunguyo, Peru, strengthening the connection between the story, the language, and the community.

This dimension was highlighted during the presentation of Shirlley’s book in Peru, emphasizing that the stories not only travel to other countries but also return to their territories as living tools of memory, identity, and cultural care.