I’m Buzz Thompson. I am a professor here at Stanford Law School, also in the Stanford Doar School of Sustainability. And I have the privilege and pleasure of actually chairing the committee which chooses the Bright Award winner each year. But of course, you’re not here to hear me. You’re not here to hear George.

You are here to both hear and honor this year’s 12th winner of the Bright Award for Sustainability Rodrigo Botero Garcia and it is great to to have him here this evening. So the Bright Award is a relatively unique award. It is the highest environmental honor that Stanford University awards.

It is also, I think, the only environmental award in the world that each year takes a particular region of the world And really dives deep and looks to see all of the people working on sustainability issues in that particular region. And chooses the person who we think is making the greatest impact on on sustainability.

There’s also one other way in which this particular award is unique. Which is the committee which recommends the award winner to the dean. The dean is the person who ultimately chooses, but that committee that that makes the recommendation is composed primarily of students. To me this is incredibly important because it’s our students who are going to be the next generation of problem solvers, the next generation of those who are gonna lead the way towards sustainability.

And so having them be the people who are actually doing the research, looking at the various candidates and choosing the award winner is extremely meaningful. I also, before moving on to Rodrigo and we’re on very informal terms here at Stanford, so I’ll probably refer to you by your first name throughout.

I also want to thank the Bright family. This particular award was created by Ray Bright and his wife Marcelle. Ray grew up the son of a park ranger and from a very early age appreciated the outdoors. And that appreciation continued throughout his life. In fact, I remember the first time that I met Ray, he told me I had to go to Death Valley.

I’d never been to Death Valley at that particular point, and he told me I had to go to Death Valley, and a week later, I get a huge envelope in the mail with maps and everything that Ray could find about about Death Valley. And when Ray died, he left a major gift here to Stanford, Both to support our education of that next generation of sustainable conservation leaders, but also to fund this award, to ensure that this award would would continue forward.

And I want to thank two members of the broad bright family who are here this evening. I’m so used to looking at the side of my students. I don’t look right down the the middle Shea bright and Alan Markle both Shea and Alan serve on our advisor committee. We’ve advised this award from the very beginning.

So I just want to thank both of you for your service on this particular award.

As I mentioned a moment ago, Rodrigo is our 12th award winner. And again, each year we go to a different region. We have 10 regions. We’ve done all 10 and we’re back now starting all over again. And it has been just a phenomenal group of award winners. And I could talk to you about all of them, but just let me just very briefly highlight a few we’ve actually had two winners from Canada the first nation where we’ve had two winners, both in the North America category.

Our very first winner was Art Starrett who was from Canada. the west coast of Canada, and he was instrumental in negotiating the preservation of the great bear rainforest, one of the great ecosystems of the world. And then last year, our award winner was Val Cotoy. Val is another indigenous leader from from Canada, and she’s been instrumental in creating the indigenous guardians program where in Canada, you have indigenous youth who’ve been appointed guardians to actually work on their land and to conserve that that land and to actually get paid for bringing their indigenous knowledge and combining it with scientific information in order to ensure that vast areas of the boreal forest are run are conserved.

And a lot of our award winners have come from indigenous communities. At the opposite extreme though was our fourth award winner Polly Cortis. Polly was actually a professor at Cambridge. And we gave her the award because she created the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainable Leadership, which sought to ensure the businesses promoted and pursued sustainability.

And again, like many of our award winners, she went on to win other awards. She is probably our first Dame because four years after she won this award, she was anointed, I guess that’s right word sorted, I don’t know the Dame commander of the order of the of the British empire for her particular work.

And then just one other group that also is similar in some ways to Rodrigo. We gave the award about five years ago to two organizers of EcoPeace Middle East, to my knowledge, is the only nonprofit organization that has an Israeli director, a Jordanian director, and a Palestinian director.

And EcoPeace Middle East had this idea that the environment, could actually be the source of peace. It could be what brings people around to peace. And they in particular had this idea that Jordan, which has lots of desert could create renewable energy through large solar farms that they could provide to Israel which Israel needs in order to meet its Paris peace.

I’m sorry, it’s Paris climate change obligations. And that Israel would then take part of that. desalinate water to give to Jordan because Jordan is very scarce on on water. And so there was this notion that you could around water and renewable energy bring peace. And that actually several years after we gave EcoPeace Middle East this award it became part of one of the Abraham Accords.

That the United States negotiated with Israel in that particular case, the UAE. Unfortunately today, it does not look as likely as it was two years ago when I went to Jordan to meet with the Jordanian government about this particular project. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t continue to dream, that we shouldn’t continue to think about how we can bring these two together.

And so that brings us to our award winner this evening, who is not only focused on environmental sustainability, but has centered environmental sustainability side by side with with peace and has worked not only side by side with indigenous communities in Columbia. But it’s also sought to through negotiations with guerrilla groups and other non state actors in Columbia to bring peace to the Amazon region, which I know is so special to but I could tell you all of this or even better.

We can show you a video about the work that Rodrigo has has done. So hopefully the technology will work. Always worries me with law schools whether we can really make technologies work. But I find we actually are better than the civil and environmental engineers. Laughter I am the son of a person who was dedicated to geographic exploration in Colombia.

My father made the first maps of soils and landscapes that Colombia had in the Amazon region. And it was like that when I was 12 years old, I already made my first trip to accompany Araraquara jungles over there very close to the border with Brazil and Peru. And I got to know the indigenous world first, I got to know what were the best preserved jungles of the country and surely of the continent, and I also got to know what was another planet that existed beyond the mountains and the inner vision that Colombia and its cities had.

The Bright Award is an environmental award given to individuals who are dedicating their careers to increasing sustainability and conservation. The nomination committee was impressed. By Rodrigo Boro’s role as conflict resolution advisor, and he has done this in what has been ranked as the world’s most dangerous country for environmental activists and people who defend land rights for indigenous people

that they. Through putting myself in their shoes, putting myself in their logic, in their rationality, understanding things that otherwise would be impossible. Generating trust, generating bridges, but above all the solutions for different types of conflict. In essence, I also think that this is one of the features of both mine and the Foundation, and it is how to find the solution to conflicts.

And that has happened with ambassadors, judges, ministers, and individuals. All types of public officials, as well as people, we have traveled with ex combatants, with indigenous people, with peasants. The common experience in the face of what is the suffering of the planet, and at the same time, what is the suffering of the population.

Because this, It’s affecting people, it’s not a speech. Being able to make a common experience, together, of what it means to impact these territories, is what creates trust. The magic to create, to change minds or cultures, is trust. Again, it’s not money, it’s not technology, it’s not the material, it’s trust.

And trust is built in a relationship where you can live together, share,

And to effectively show that we have something that connects us in a common way, which is the planet, which are the forests. I think he is a person who inspires the work of others. And I think his leadership has made many of us continue this work. And above all, he is always encouraging us to keep thinking, to keep imagining, to keep building.

He is the leader, obviously. He is a leader, not only of the foundation, but of the territory.

in the large industries, in politics, in the international community spaces that sometimes don’t know what’s going on. He manages to put that voice from the territories in those places. I find Don Rodrigo’s work important because through the foundation he becomes the eyes that the forests have. It’s the entity that has the monitoring of forest resources that exists in the country, in the entire Amazon.

The most important area of conservation in biodiversity and in environmental services of climate regulation of the continent is being, today, about to be lost. So that level of gravity of what happens in this territory

We hope this award, which marks the 12th anniversary of the Bright Award, further empowers this year’s winner in his efforts to protect the Amazon in Columbia and beyond. I had no idea that Stanford University could be valuing the work we are doing here in these territories. In my case, I for the recognition of this award, but that is only a small element in a longer term vision.

What has happened to us is that when people come into contact with this world, with this complexity, La gente hace un cambio interior, es un cambio comportamental. Nos llama mucho la atención que hay acciones de vivencias directas, sí? Que tienen que ver con cómo conocer efectivamente esta pulsación de la selva, este corazón vivo que existe aquí del planeta.

Conocer sus gentes, sus bosques.

Okay, so now you have a sense of why it is that we are giving Rodrigo the bright award this evening Rodrigo has worked in the Amazon forest and area for for more than 30 years. I don’t know what struck you about that video, but two things struck me. First was just the beauty of the forest area within which Rodrigo works and some of the destruction that we saw in terms of burning and clearance of the forest.

And the other thing was, who I think was his two kids. Who are what? Six and nine. Yeah, six and nine years old. We were talking earlier about the fact that Rodrigo gets a lot of inspiration and hope from from his kids. But Rodrigo has worked in combating deforestation, promoting sustainable development helping local communities achieve equitable living conditions.

He has made 150 flights like you saw in that particular video over the Amazon in order to monitor deforestation. As the video pointed out, this is not an easy place to work. It is an extremely dangerous place to work. But Rodrigo has persisted working with and frequently living with many of the indigenous communities.

Thank you very much. Of the area and negotiating to keep the armed rebels who attempt illegal land grabs out of the region. Rodrigo was head of the Amazon and Orinoco zones of the Colombian National Park System where he led the charge to expand Chiribiqueta National Park in 2012.

He added 1. 4 million hectares. Four years later, 2018 added another 1. 5 additional hectares. It’s now the largest protected area in Columbia at the very heart of the Amazon Rainforest as now because of that work and what it constitutes has been declared a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.

Few have played a significant role in this region, in Columbia in, in this type of work. Then again, Rodrigo Boero Garcia and I’ll invite him up here in order to present the award. And then we’re just gonna really quickly take one or two pictures and then Rodrigo is gonna talk.

I don’t have to do anything. It’s a good transition and if the war doesn’t suddenly appear. We’re going to go directly to your remarks. Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we get your remarks first, and then we’ll do the pictures. Ah. Oh, here it comes.

I hope you still have some luggage capacity. In in, I don’t know. And how about that? Thanks. Anything for you.

Good. Right over there. Yeah, please.

Many thanks, boss. And many thanks for you, all colleagues and friends here in Stanford. Many thanks for you. Family. And I want to share you my thoughts about it. About what’s happening in my life in this moment. With this award. I am curious about as to why I am being honored with this recognition.

It immediately brings me back to my childhood. My parents instilled in me a curiosity about the world around me, encouraging me to ask questions, to challenge the statu quo, and to think independently. I was taught to believe in the potential of utopias. I have no background in academia, science, politics, or business.

While I do not possess formal training in communications, I have been responsible for conveying messages that have had a significant impact on populations and regions within my country and beyond. I have joined forces with a group of colleagues to establish collect a collective vision that aims to contribute to the conservation of the planet.

Our approach involves working in close collaboration with indigenous and peace and community. with whom I have long standing relationship spanning three decades. I learned that it was important to have a local impact while maintaining a global perspective. My parents and indigenous people thought a sense to belonging to an responsibility to the planet, encouraging me to view the world as integrated living system.

While I do not practice any religion, I am convinced of the connection between the earth and the sun. and every human being. I believe that there may be a solution to the global warming, loss of biodiversity, and extreme weather event crisis, and that this solution may lie in reconnecting with the earth.

I am the director of a small NGO that has chosen a path of considerable length and unpredictability. I have worked in the public sector, struggling to exemplify the values of a public servant. I was a Power Ranger. I have tried to move from a disciplinary approach, which has never been my preference, to an interdisciplinary one, which I will continue to pursue.

I aspire to contribute to the development of a vision of a participatory state that transcends the limitation of political parties and governments in the present era. I believe that civil society can serve as a cornerstone of modern democracy. We provide support to governments while maintaining our political, financial, and operational independence.

We believe in the power of private initiatives as engine of our transformation and sustainable growth. At the same time, we’re critical of unsustainable or irresponsible business practices that do not assume climate and social responsibility. To reach this point, we have had to maintain exacting standards regarding the quality of our information and job in the field.

The information and analysis we provide is of the highest quality, free from any political trend and delivered in real time to anyone who needs it. This allows us to be recognized and respected even by our opponents. Our information is trusted by a diverse range of individuals, including business leaders, politicians, diplomats, insurgents.

organizing crime figures and community leaders, even when it challenges their benefits, their beliefs, or conflicts with their interests.

This marks the beginning of a constructive dialogue process engaging with the local population in their daily lives understanding their struggles and constraints. And observing their interactions with one another provides a unique opportunity to establish connections with other levels of the state, business and decision making entities.

Such connections can serve as conduit for fostering a sense of hope, creating trust. I had the opportunity to engage in discussions with generals of the Republic in the morning and with guerrilla commanders in the afternoon. I was able to do this without difficulty, and came to understand the world perspectives and common ground between them.

I was aware of the mission and believed that much suffering could be avoided. I made significant progress on key initiatives where there was a shared commitment to peace. However, I also encountered strong resistance from extreme wings for, of both parties, who were reluctant to accept the potential failure of their approach and their associated risk to continue conflict and violence.

It has come to my attention that there are individuals who have made a business out of perpetuating conflict and fear. Some are driving by pride and ego, while others are characterized by mental and spiritual rigidity. These factors contribute to prolonged periods of violence and unrest. Now, once again, the Colombian government is attempting to establish a peace through focus on peace with the environment.

I am prepared to dedicate my full efforts for this endeavor, recognizing the importance of preventing the escalation of regional conflicts in our country’s And in the continent, I learned that maybe food in Amsterdam phones in Silicon Valley and meeting the United Emirates could be made with materials that harm our forests and people.

I left the jungle in my country and started traveling to find allies around the world. We need to work together, maybe at the United Nations in Oslo, Brussels, Washington, or Brasilia to make our causes and efforts succeed. We have established a collaborative networks with allies and partners to facilitate support.

within our country. Our efforts have been acknowledged from colleagues from different sectors, including the Congress, the courts of justice, ministries of economy, agriculture, transport, or other relevant stakeholders who recognize the importance of conservation for our collective future.

Suddenly Stanford emerges. What alliances can emerge from here It’s not just a matter of finance, but rather of bringing together different aspects, including technology, communications, politics, trade, democracy, climate change, law enforcement, advocacy, rights of nature, and vulnerable communities. The award from the law school demonstrates a profound comprehension of the significance of universal rights.

I would

like to conclude by expressing my gratitude for being selected for this award. I am aware that there are numerous individuals who have achieved remarkable success over many years with results that may even surpass those I have represented here. In addition, numerous environmental leaders in Colombia and the Amazon countries or Latin America and beyond are facing threats to their safety and lives, with many of them being killed.

I believe that this moment is important to remember their contributions and to reaffirm my commitment to continuing their work, both for those who are still with us and for those who are not here. For the benefit of our children and our future generations to create a better world. Many thanks.

Okay. Now I want to invite up Greg Dalton. Greg is is a very close friend. And he is, if you don’t know him already, he is the founder and the moderator for Climate One, which is, I think, the longest continuing radio, television show that focuses just on climate change and all of the various ramifications of climate change, which of course you could be talking about for years.

If you’ve never watched Climate One, go on to your website and figure out how you can get Climate One in your particular area and watch Climate One. Greg though is also like the most stupendous moderator I’ve ever met, so that’s the reason we invite him back every year. And are really pleased when he comes.

So Greg, if you want to come up, and Rodrigo, if you want to come up what we will do is it’s going to be like about a half hour moderated discussion, and then there will be plenty of time for your questions afterwards.

Thanks.

Okay. It’s great to see you. Thank you. Thanks, Buzz. So I’ve been in those seats in a law school before. I’ve never been in this seat in a law school before, so this is a bit different. It’s an honor to be here again. And what a tremendous that video and Rodrigo. Yeah, get a little bit closer.

There we go. It is, I talked to a lot of environmental people and, but the ability, The trust that you have gained and earned through many different constituencies is pretty remarkable It really is and I want to you know You talked about how in the video a little bit you mentioned how you know your father introduced you to nature early on and discovery of nature visiting indigenous areas and also You say that nature start with a question.

Maybe not often heard in law schools. You say that nature has a soul. What do you mean by that? When you live inside the forest. You can you can feel different type of interactions, not only between different species, but also with you when you’re inside it. And when the forest is being transformed, you can feel how this ecosystem is dying literally. So this expressions of the forest and not only for forest but maybe for natural ecosystems.

It’s what it means that like the soul of ecosystems or the soul of forest and in this case of the Amazon. When you can see what’s the the function of, for example, the Amazon rainforest in the world like like this sponge of water and maintaining our temperature and our hydrological cycle.

In my opinion, this is the mean of what’s, why the Earth and the ecosystems have some type of soul. And this is, of course in terms of the lowest goal. This is the new trend of how the ecosystem is now recognized as a subject of rights. And it’s clearly to identify not it like only an object by, but like a source of interactions in the ecosystem.

same level of other species, including humans. Yeah. Withstanding and courts and rights and all those things. Yeah. The Columbia civil war raged for more than 50 years, we saw a reference to it, and how did that impact your decision to defend nature? And how did that impact, the gorilla destruction of landscapes?

First when I was being a pair ranger in the same area during more than 20 years, In the same area, two different peace dialogues efforts for two different governments have been placed there, inside the same areas, over national parks and forest reserves, with the same group. And it’s only a coincidence?

No. No, I think it’s absolutely clear that you, and in some countries, in topical countries maybe, the the land rights, it’s in the same area. in the same range of the existing rights. And in many cases, when you have no balance between this type of rights of people in terms of their property, not only a property or rights of lands management of land property, and at the same time, the rights of the countries of a health environment.

I think it creates this type of conflicts. So that’s why in many cases, the armored group sets that the protection of the conservation is against their people, not only their groups, but their populations and their bases. And it helps a little bit of reason, because if you don’t have a balance between conservation of nature and conservation for of populations, local populations, and vulnerable people, there will be create immediately a conflict.

And it’s what’s happening in Colombia. But I can say you that it’s not only a problem of Colombia, right? Unfortunately, it is spreading in more countries, and I have seen a very quick growth in many places in tropical forests in the world that it’s now becoming with new conflicts around local population, army groups, economic sources, We minus of governments.

And there’s some concern that there’s actually a rush in the Amazon for new sources of minerals. We know about oil and others, and there’s actually clean energy, ironically is causing a rush for new types of resources in the Amazon. So what is the, tell us about that. ’cause we’re from the risk of this transition to clean energy still causing problems.

Yeah. But it’s not only about hydrocarbons, it’s also about minerals of the energy transition, but it’s also about our commodities. The entire world is taking materials and yeah, and sources for transformation providing provided by the Amazon region. And the Amazon region is now transformed not only by illegal economies, but in my opinion, mainly by Legal activities like hydrocarbons, like infrastructure, like minerals of transition, and of course, and commodities.

This is the perfect storm, which is now covering how the illegal economies is now inserting and many, and having, for example, this synergy in terms of money laundering with this legal umbrella of economic development. Which is one reason why it’s outside your country, but it’s so remarkable that the people of Yasuni National Park recently voted to leave money in the ground and say in a plebiscite.

Now it may be undone, but I’m curious how that affects you as a model that might spread to other places and say, indigenous people voted in Ecuador to say, we’re going to leave money in the ground. Yeah. And this is, I think this will be the discussion in all the Amazon countries, right? There is not only in Ecuador, maybe in Colombia now, there is a lot of initiatives in the Congress and with Disabled Society, which wants to stop the oil exploration, but also the mining exploration, to create an exclusion zone in the Amazon for these types of development.

But on the other side, in terms of climate justice who’s putting Or who’s supporting these governments to have a balance to invest Inadequate conditions for maintaining these people outside the illegal economies and I want to talk about the depending of these Countries in their economy from the royalties provided for the mining and energy sectors, right?

So in my case in my opinion I have seen in many countries of the northwest amazon basin That Now the illegal economies are stronger than the legal proposals of the government and in with or within Illegal economies are stronger. Are stronger. Yeah, they got more money more power Of course, and you can imagine what’s going to happen when you’re going to when the politicians are going to use The issue to say if you are not going we’re not going to explode mining or hydrocarbons So you have no now royalties Right to invest in these areas.

So what’s going to happen with you? So you’re saying that those exclusionary zones could increase the power of the illegal economy exactly because they got money and you say I can’t make money here. I’m gonna make it with these guys And that’s what’s happening but the other side you can if you can see maps of different layers of mine exploration of infrastructure or new developments in agri commodity You see You could see there is the main areas of conflict now, social environmental conflicts, and presence of armed groups.

Why? Because it is the perfect sources of finance for them. So the model is not now only about to maintain armed groups or an illegal source, economic source. The model is now how to combine the legal sources to have perfect umbrella, to catch the money laundering systems, which basically from illegal gold mining and from coca or narcotraffic, right?

Which is under all these transformation systems with infrastructure, with land grabbing, with agro commodities development. And there is where now we have in cooperation with the Congo Basin or Indonesia, the main area with presence of armored groups in the world and the tropical forest is there. in this zone of the six countries in the northwest Amazon, whereas at the same time, the main area of intact forest in the world, the main area with protected areas and indigenous territories.

And with, the indigenous people in isolated, involuntary isolated, their lives there in this exact zone. So it’s absolutely a contrast between huge area for conservation for the world. And at the same time, the perfect area for. And you interact with these illegal groups. In my mind, I’m seeing a movie with Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger going into a jungle, heavily armed camp.

How does that happen? How do you go up to some of these drug lords and say, you really ought to not cut down those trees? How does that happen? You have a beer and they say okay. First, how this guys which is involved in different type of activities, they’re looking to be part of the system.

The comfort zone is not in the illegality. The comfort zone is inside the legality. And so they’re looking for it. And there is maybe the opportunity for the peace policy, not the peace process, the peace policy, to create opportunities for all this, to create opportunities for all this. Lords of gangs and ecotraffic a pathway to go legit exactly And in the other side and this morning when I was have lunch with some students that’s here now we talk about Many of the new transitional justice systems are including for example the restoration Of ecosystem of damaged ecosystems as an opportunity this Areas these huge areas that you have seen in the video It’s a lot of work, a lot of investments, a lot of people, and control.

And who has it? They. So maybe there is an opportunity work, to work with these groups, which is now working, and not working, but they’re looking for, to transform their movements in the legality. And I see it not only in Colombia. I have seen this in the border in Peru. I have seen this, the same one in the northeast in Ecuador.

It’s more difficult in Venezuela, but it’s in them. There’s a lot of groups with territorial control with their social basis there, and they’re looking how to transform their movements in maybe a legal movements, maybe a legal economy activities, and to transform them. Because if not, they’re going to continue expanding these types of cooptation of subnational areas in this country.

And my concern is that I have ever seen more than six continuous borders in the Amazon, which does those type of control, control not only but armed groups, but also about politicians and groups, which is working together at the same time where the government entities and officials are as part of the model.

So I think it’s an early alert. It’s an early alert to create a different type of economy. It’s early alert to have more information to have to transform the institutions in these areas. And maybe as a professor asked me this morning and to change the governance systems. That’s why I’m saying democracy.

How can we explore different types of democracy in regional local levels that could change this trend? Because clearly this is a centralist answer. The answer of the centralism in our countries is This failure of power this failure of governance and democracy So I think there is an a lot of questions and opportunities and you have said both We need to be optimistic to explore new types of ways new type of approaches Because that we have seen now.

It’s This is not working for us. And the climate and the situation is so urgent. We need to be creative, can’t rule out. But I’m still saying, thinking back to you in the movies, in the video saying trust is central and you would trust drug lords coming into positions of legitimacy and power in order to save the forest.

You would take that risk. You would trust them to I would have, can hear American populace saying, Whoa, you’re going to bring them into government? That sounds Yeah, that sounds Because yeah, it’s risky, but that’s a position when you don’t know that these people, it’s not looking only for money.

They want respect and acceptance. Exactly. They are looking to be accepted. They’re looking to be citizens. They’re looking to have rights. Then they’re looking to not be criminals. And maybe this is a clue. I think it. And in my opinion and experience, many times these local populations are looking for this, not exclusively for money.

Money is a part of, but the rights, the recognition is the key point and recognition creates trust. So clearly. Maybe there is, there’s going to be even for many years that they can’t lords, right? But in the basis. With the population that is in these areas, population who is suffering, they do not, they don’t have a good life.

Maybe they have money, but their money is not the same that have a good life, a good standard of life. Yeah, and they’re looking for this. And so you’re looking at them as humans not as certain types of characters But do indigenous groups recognize the legitimacy of laws that are not theirs and we’re talking about the legal systems Yeah, they have their own laws, right?

It’s not they have the white man’s laws written down but they know in some cases That it’s important to coordinate with the government and coordinate is not exactly have Changed their own laws or their own Culture But use it, for example, in a decentralized forms of governments. I think you can see in the Northwest Amazon, not only in Colombia, but including all the six countries, there’s the main area of indigenous territories in the world, and it could be an opportunity there.

Why? Because they are authorities, because they have recognition for their people, because they have their own forest and territory management, and they are only looking for this recognition. It’s dangerous? Yes. There is a lot of groups that’s looking to take control in these indigenous territories.

Sure. So who’s going to be first there? The governments, the civil society, or the gangs? That’s the question. Ten years ago or so you needed to go away from Colombia because groups were visiting and threatening you. So how did you decide to leave? And tell us that story. Sometime, some night, a group visited me in my house and I can recognize in their in their speech and in their movements that they’re not robbers.

They’re doing intelligence in my house. They’re looking to find clues of my relations with different type of groups and what’s my political affinities. In this moment, people who’s now here in the States calls me and said, okay, it’s important to stop a moment, maybe to come here and have a different overview, have a different alliances and show them, show these people that you are part of a different ecosystem.

You’re part of a different network. You have powerful friends. I don’t know if powerful, but I don’t know if powerful, but very intelligent. Yes. Maybe powerful too, but maybe. with the intelligence to say that I need to show them that the environment is not part of the conflict, but it could be a solution of why?

Because in this moment, this was my first time that with with, I was involving the environment in a peace process. And this was a silence peace process without any type of information for the public. We’re working to create a trust conditions. Through Harvard groups, protected areas, antigovernment in this moment.

And I said in, in, in my speech, in my remarks, that I have recognized that extreme wings do not accept this type of recognition, this type of point of common interests in the different groups from the government and the army groups. Opportunity for me. Not only these powerful people, but also I have identify from where comes the threats.

I put it in a corner maybe. And in this moment, probably this moment, 10 or 12 years ago, the situation changes. Changes with the national government who separate these people from their charges. And also to have, I have to expand my network. with different allies in different countries, which helps us to be more safety.

This is maybe the reason that I’m working now in these regions. I’m trying to expand this protection to other people, to other organizations. I clearly do it, right? And many countries that are supporting us is using our capacity to create this trust and these conditions of safety for many people who works in zones with a lot of conflict.

It’s really brave what you do. It’s very dangerous. Land defenders, water protectors there’s been an uptick in, journalists and others getting killed for doing what you’re doing. Yes. When you walk out the door, do you like look both ways? No, in this moment no. Because I’m, and I said in a column that I wrote this weekend in Columbia, we know who is who, we know who is who.

And we’re trying to get bridges and to get links to create a different way to resolve the conflicts. And this is important, right? Of course we have not we’re not absolutely in a comfortable situation for us, for our foundation, and for our partners. But clearly we’re more stronger than in this time, in these years.

And this award will give you some recognition and yeah some which can help you. Your work is centered on long standing relationships. I’d like you have many allies. I’d like you to tell us about Avesita, who’s an ally working on many levels. Avesita, yeah, she’s a leader.

She’s a extraordinary woman from Peru. She is maybe one of my inspired people in, in, in the world. I knew her maybe 30 years ago and she’s the leader of the biggest program of conservation in the amazon basin countries. She’s working with the Gordon Amadimou Foundation but she works in different levels like I she works with the governments, she works with international corporation, she works with the governmental agencies.

She works with the indigenous reserves. She has a long term vision. She is working for the change, for changing the trend of destruction of the Amazon. And maybe she’s looking for next generations and preparing people. And maybe his main point is just, she’s working looking any type of recognition.

She’s absolutely human. Absolutely. And I think this type of people can change and have a more optimistic view for many people and the new generations for what type of work do we need to do? How we need to, how can to work looking in a intergenerational perspective, people who is not looking for recognition or for short term goals or for only to have spend money or to have shorter targets, which is looking to work in networks, to work with others, with, to work with the difference.

I think this type of people can inspire, not only in my case, but inspire many countries and many NGOs in the world, many government and agencies. And of course I, I have a special recognition for her. Yeah, because so often we think about in our culture, it’s like, what can I do? What can an individual do?

What can one person do? You’re saying the key is, yes, what we can do together, my as an individual consumer actor, my carbon footprint, my vote. Exactly. And that’s why I put it in the speech. What kind of new networks we can create, right? Because each person in the world, each person in this auditorium.

Each person in this university or in, in any of our countries can do a lot of contributions, but their contributions could be synergy, impact if they’re working together. So my question for now and for the future GEOs is how can we do better work creating this type of networks? How can do better synergies?

And using. the the simple efforts for all people in independent if they are in the U. S., in Canada, or in Europe, or in Latin America. But we need to recognize the capacity to work together. Alone it’s impossible. There’s a lot of excitement about the next conference of parties in Brazil next year what, that, that might be a real significant conference of parties for the UN process.

The return of President Lula da Silva was thought to be a good thing for slowing down deforestation it seems like that happened for a while. Is that, what’s your take on that story? Because that was viewed as oh, Yes, good for the Amazon. Is it as good as we hear in America think? Yes, clearly. And we have a key opportunity because we have now the Conference of Parties in Columbia and for Biodiversity in Cali in a couple of weeks.

And at the same time next year in Berlin, Conference of Parties for Climate Change. So the entire world is now looking of what’s going to happen in this part of the globe, of the world, of the Earth. And what’s happening with these countries and with these key leaders, which is now proposing a lot of changes in terms of the, of our legal systems in our judicial, of course, and our judicial and courts effects in the environment and how to evolve and propose different models of economy and how to create and, or change or adjust different type of trade agreements.

So they’re really putting in the table key decisions for humanity and for specifically for the Amazon. And I think the other point is it’s again, it’s not only about mobilizing of resources that is clearly a target and a goal for the, for both goals, but is how can we change the consumed patrols?

They consume behaviors in, not only behaviors, they consume trades with different countries with, is now unrest, without respect with the conditions in these countries. And I am specifically talking about trustability. In my opinion, trustability is now a huge requirement for the entire world to work in this.

To, so that, to show that I don’t eat hamburgers, but if I ate a hamburger, would I know if the beef came from land that was deforested in Brazil, the soy, this cow ate soy that was deforested in Brazil. Somehow my hamburger buns going to say that. If this cell phone has or not coltan provided from the Guiana shield or the gold who is going to India and then maybe creating new technologic systems is coming from areas of destroyed forests and sourcing of Armored groups, right and it could appears with gold with oil with palm with meat Yeah, right and of course with this extraordinary Money laundry machine, which is now in Latin america is the last agriculture frontier in the world And I have seen that there is millions and billions of dollars going there From chaco in paraguay To Yucatan in Mexico, there is a lot of money going there.

And, creating this bubble of land grabbing. Which is, yeah, the next, our next challenge. What do you, as we’re going to go to audience questions in just one minute what do you think of ecotourism, and is that a bright spot? Because sometimes we like to think, or is that, what are the conditions for that needed to be a positive force, yes, ecotourism could be a good way in some cases, in some areas, right? But when we are talking about democracy threats, when we are talking. Governance when we are talking about legal economies. Ecotourism could be a little part of the solution Yes, it’s good, but it’s not all not a core one.

Yes, you say that a big part of your Job is to convince young people not to get involved in war drugs or cattle three of the great evils how do you invest you know, and there’s a lot of status with cattle ranching the people So how do you tell a young person don’t get involved with war, drugs, or cattle?

I don’t talk, and I’m going to tell you why. Many young people which works with us in these rural areas May I talk? Of course, sorry. Many of these young people who works with us in these rural areas, they have lived the destruction of the territories. They have lived what’s happening in the last 20 or 30 years.

with their forests, with their water, the warm in their areas, with the health changes in their zones. And this, they, I want, I tried to say it in English, but they’re refunding the culture their behavior. They said to me, we are now refunding our behavior. And what’s that? To be part, to be peasants inside forest, to live from forest, under forest, which changes Lot of years to being part of an ecosystem which is grass cattle.

Yeah, but they have decided where they have seen that the if they’re continuing this way, they’re not going to be living there in the next year. And they say, we don’t want to be involved in illegal mining, we don’t want to sell our lands, we don’t want to continue cattle ranching, or we don’t want to drive a taxi in a little town.

We need to live here, from forest, with the forest, and reconstruct our territory. So this is. This is why many times you need to work in a long term process with local communities, when you don’t, you can’t have this type of discussion or dialogue with local communities if you’re only doing projects.

And unfortunately, many NGOs Looks little contractors looking for projects. Yes, in a sense of place. I think we’re ready to go to audience questions. Do you want, do we want to the microphone or the microphone will come to you? Sure.

Hi, can you hear me? Yeah, thank you. The question I have is that this award was set up before the new School of Sustainability was established at Stanford. So my question is there an attempt to bring in the resources of that school and amplify what’s going on here?

That sounds like a buzz question rather than a buzz. Yeah, a Rodrigo question. Yeah.

The answer is yes that the School of Sustainability now is two years old. It’s just getting started. This award actually is given out jointly by the law school and by the Woods Institute for the Environment, which is part of the Doar School of of sustainability. And one of the things we actually began talking about this evening was, are there ways in which we can begin working together on some projects?

Even if it is at the level of, could some of our students actually go down and intern in a way which would be helpful in the area? So I think, so the answer is definitely yes. But the other part of the answer is we’re working on exactly what that’s going to to look like. But clearly one of the things the Doar School cares about is actually getting out and engaging in work beyond Stanford.

So this has to be the sort of thing that we’re involved in.

Yeah, yes. Thank you. Rodrigo, thank you very much for coming and congratulations. And as a fellow Colombian I’m really Happy that you’re here and it’s very nice to meet you. The Amazon basin in Colombia has been populated I think for 70 years and this is a process that has happened in other Latin American countries in a very haphazard way aside from government.

I think one of the issues and I think you’ve touched based on this in your remarks and some of the conversation is what kind of governance can be established in the Amazon basin? Because I think, or maybe one of the questions is, does the issue of the city council and the mayor and, this representative government idea, is that going to, how is that going to happen in the Amazon basin in Colombia?

Yeah, because I think that’s the issue. Because you have all these legal, illegal economies, and you have a bunch of human settlements that are spread throughout the land with no organization. And now there’s all these other issue that the government is talking about organizing territory about water, around water.

There you are. Thank you.

I think the the governance system will need to change there.

Will change Sorry. Sorry. Que paso? And it’s, it needs to change because, first it’s clear that the gov that the central government is not going to have control in the short term in these territories.

First, the second point is because the local populations do not recognize the national level as a legitimacy level, as a clear rule and a clear relation of trust with them. And they are asking for, have more power to decide about their economy, their health, their territories, their lands.

I think there’s going to be, to happen a federal system in some areas. And maybe the the peace efforts and the peace policy is now exploring that many areas in Colombia need to change. It may be looking for a more federal system, with a more decentralized areas, not only in terms of indigenous territories, but also with peace and zones or not only about peace and spar, also in forest zones, which is not undesignated areas, with where is the main air force of the illegal economies to have control there.

I think there is the legal framework to do this change. I need, I think that we need to have the political decision. political position to change the model of governance of these critical areas. And maybe this will be the main challenge in the next years, not only for Columbia. I am absolutely clear that many other countries in the region is going to be happening the same challenge.

Thank you. Next question right there.

Hi, my name is Micah Bozek. I wanted to ask, what should the high schoolers all around the world know if they want to make an effective difference in the Amazon right this second? What can high schoolers do if they want to make an effective difference now? Yeah. It’s a difficult answer because if you don’t have capacity to maintain safety the kids in the schools, you don’t, you can’t ask them to be part of the solution.

In many areas, the main threat for the population is that the army groups is now having control in the schools. So in opinion, one of the main decisions is how to create the, better conditions of safety for the scholarship population. In other type of zones where it’s better conditions we have in them the best allies to have, to do this behavioral change.

Because these new kids are more closer, for example, for technology, for communication, and for information at. This is a clear barrier in the rural areas where the elders doesn’t want any type of a solution which includes, for example, technologies and communications. So we’re looking that these key guys in the zones could be the perfect leaders from the transition for this refunding culture, this refunding behavior that they are talking about.

It’s impossible if we have not better conditions of safety for them. But in our experience, we are now focusing our efforts in recruit kids from the schools to be part of this new model of transformation of the forest. Were you asking about students in Columbia or students in the U S everywhere?

Everywhere. Okay. Sorry.

There’s areas, for example, I was talking with you about the, what can do kids who have capacity to manage a drone to drive a drone. We need a lot of people managing drones, for example, to teach other kids in these rural zones to do monitoring. We need to do monitoring for fires.

for to control invaders, to control deforestation or to do more restoring monitoring of the restoration zones. And it’s hundreds of kilometers that we need to cover. And it’s absolutely difficult if you are going to do walking or doing tracking or in boats we need, for example, in your case, kids who could teach another one to be the monitors of the forest.

This is a, for an opinion, an excellent opportunity. Drone guardians. I can see a school or a project or a rotary scholarship for somebody to be drone guardians of the Amazon. I think we’re at about time. I don’t know if we have one last burning one.

So we talked about what high school students could do. What about foundations? What? What should foundations in the United States and elsewhere in the world? Who have money that they would like to use to make a difference. Where should they be focused?

We need to cover the whole amazon. Not only the zones where our Budgets capacity can maintain us. We need to have a long term presence and long term presence is not only with our Teams in territory, but also for example With gis systems which has capacity to maintain monitoring We need to have more cover in terms of information and advocacy in, in the urban areas.

We need to have allies to, in the news and journalist networks, which creates more sensitive in the political level. I have learned that the politicians doesn’t, do not be afraid about reality, but they’re afraid about the image. So we need to work very close with them, with networks of journalists.

We need to have better communications. We have not. We have, we need to have better technology. We’re working in the, maybe, in the Stone Age in some cases, right? We have not enough technology to avoid systems and to for example, to do monitoring. We need to have markets. What’s What’s the capacity of the local communities to have international markets or national markets with transformation, with distribution, with good commercial expectations if we have not this technological and legal capacity and of course financial support.

How can we, for example, maintain our discussion in some political spaces of discussion in terms of the free trade agreements? That is looking for review the traceability systems right in the European Union with China, with the Eastern the Middle East countries. We need a lot of work in different levels from the political level, international level to the local areas.

We need to work, trying to find better solutions for maintain forest working because if now an hector or a yard. of forest or land is, it has much more value without forest. We have a problem. Now we have a problem because one hectare of land in the Amazon have more prices, it has not forest.

So we need to look for. So there is absolute, a lot of opportunities to work with other NGOs and funders and philanthropy organizations here than the U. S., but we need to get them. I just want to say that if more activists were as good at listening and building trust as you are, we’d be in a much better place.

So let’s give Rodrigo a big round for sitting in trust.

This concludes the award ceremony. This year, we’re we’re going to be looking at Europe for the next Bright Award winner. If any of you have people who you think should be nominated, please get in touch with us. I think we have a website, right? Okay. And so you can make nominations there and I look forward to seeing all of you back here next year for the 13th annual winner of the Bright Awards.

Greg, thank you very much. Rodrigo, congratulations. Many thanks.