In Bolivia’s Madidi legacy landscape, the pilot project Voices of Madidi has provided Indigenous and local communities with a platform to share their perspectives and stories through video testimonials. This production network and digital video library, developed in collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Radio France Internationale (RFI) Planète Radio, builds on a community video story foundation to give people living in and around protected areas a voice in conservation efforts.
The Voices of Madidi platform hosts over 100 short videos featuring testimonies and stories from Indigenous and local communities and the protected areas of Madidi and Pilón Lajas. A network of five local correspondents has been trained to document and share community perspectives related to culture, livelihoods and environmental challenges. These videos are freely accessible at madidi.voces-de.org and offer valuable insights into topics such as cultural traditions, natural and archaeological heritage, sustainable livelihoods, and territorial management. By providing a space for communities to document their relationship with protected areas, the project helps integrate their perspectives into conservation efforts. It also offers an accessible format for audiovisual storytelling, making it easier for remote communities to share their experiences.
“The presentation of this platform has helped people be heard. They see that their stories matter,” shared Sarit Dury, a young producer, during the public video exhibition in Rurrenabaque.
By connecting conservation with community storytelling, Voices of Madidi supports local participation in conservation efforts and highlights the experiences of those living in and around protected areas. This initiative is now part of the Indigenous Communicator Network of Northern La Paz, which will use these tools and methods to help Indigenous organizations defend Indigenous rights, preserve their culture and highlight their contributions to nature.