An Urgent Reflection on Socio-Environmental Communication in the Amazon - OPINION March 21, 2025
- Ana Cunha-Busch
- Mar 20
- 2 min read
An Urgent Reflection on Socio-Environmental Communication in the Amazon
Journalist Elias Serejo brought up a long-overdue reflection: socio-environmental communication in the Amazon is still dominated by external narratives, especially from the south and southeast of Brazil. This reality invites us to question how the region is portrayed and, more importantly, who has the voice to speak about it.
The theory of the “coloniality of knowledge”, proposed by Aníbal Quijano, helps us to understand how certain groups and forms of knowledge have historically been privileged to the detriment of others. In the Brazilian context, the Amazon often becomes just an object of study or an exotic agenda, while local voices are systematically silenced or minimized.
A clear example of this phenomenon occurs in the region's journalistic coverage and production of content on socio-environmental issues. The major media outlets, mostly based in the Southeast, impose their perspectives on the Amazon, without giving adequate space to those who live there and know the local challenges and potential up close. As a result, we have a flow of information that goes “from there to here”, and rarely “from here to there”.
The imminent COP30 in Belém further exacerbates this discussion. This international event, which will have the Amazon as its backdrop, runs the risk of repeating the old script: teams of journalists and researchers from abroad, telling the story of the region from their perspectives, without the proper inclusion of local communicators. Opportunities like this should serve to strengthen and amplify the voices of Amazonian professionals, ensuring that they play an effective role in the construction of narratives.
There must be a real commitment to the democratization of socio-environmental communication in the Amazon. This means not only allowing local journalists to participate but also designing training and projects in a collaborative way, respecting the knowledge that already exists in the region. The Amazon is rich not only in biodiversity, but also in knowledge, culture and experiences that need to be valued and shared.
As Elias Serejo rightly pointed out, “Transformation begins when we amplify the voices of those who have always remained on the margins”. May we reflect and act to build more equitable and representative communication, where the Amazon speaks for itself and not just through the eyes of those who observe it from the outside.
SDG 10, SDG13, SDG 15, SDG 16, SDG 17
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