Gabriela has always felt at home where she grew up, on a guest house farm on the Portuguese coast. Despite often leaving her land to travel and work, deep down she knew that, like indigenous trees, she belonged to that place.  But one summer day, a wildfire swept through her father's land, devouring everything around. Her father was evacuated, leaving the fire time to pass. And when he returned to his lands, thinking that everything would be gone, his house was nearly intact.  If we tell...

Dorcas grew up in Kenya, where her father instilled in her the value of planting trees—his farm was full of trees and coffee plants. Dorcas also recalls the generational stories that were passed along: they once had forests full of trees that have now been cut down. These stories sparked a deeper appreciation for nature within her. While she once overlooked tree-cutting on farms, believing it would bring other benefits, Dorcas's perspective shifted over time. With eye-opening studies in...

Rūta's upbringing was enriched by her mother's presence and the wisdom of her grandmother, a passionate geologist deeply connected to the natural world and its spiritual essence.  When her grandmother faced a grave illness, Rūta found herself pondering:  “If we were able to present the diagnosis with a very different approach, how would people heal?” This question ignited her journey into psychology, intertwined with her understanding of biology.  As a dedicated researcher, writer, and...

Ana was raised in Venezuela with her family, who had been cattle farmers for generations. They, from whom she inherited Indigenous ancestry, maintained a deep connection to the land.  However, due to increased governmental pressure, she was compelled to leave with her parents for Canada, thus becoming separated from her family, homeland, and culture.  Growing up far from her ancestors' lands, Ana found solace through meaningful encounters and the nature around her. By exploring the forest...

After a long journey that took her from writing poems to strangers, to the Shakespeare & Company bookstore café in Paris, and to an immersive writing experience in a forest in Sweden, Billimarie found herself back in her mother's garden. "This is a man-made woods," Billimarie recalled a phrase that had struck her during her time in Sweden. "Man-made," she thought.  Meanwhile, her mother, wise and attuned to nature, understood the needs of her plants instinctively, without relying on...

Welcome to Season 2 of Terra Stories. What’s on the agenda? FORESTS. 🪲🌳🌲🪵🍄 Specifically, “Reviving Forests Roots” explores forest ecosystems and their wisdom, deepening the intrinsic links between nature and humanity through the people who live and listen to it. It’s a journey to our roots, steeped in stories, to imagine, rediscover, and reconnect with the natural world and our ancestral origins. This first episode is a brief introduction to the series. I wanted to share something with you,...

Naima's father has always taken care of his garden as if he were hiding a secret within it. Naima couldn't help but wonder, 'how could such a tough person have such a tenderness to care for the plants, the fruits that grew on the trees, and the birds that latched on them.'  It wasn't until she re-entered that sacred space, a few years after painful events, that Naima began to unravel the precious mysteries her father nurtured within his garden.  In the midst of pain, that garden became...

Justine's grandfather had a passion for photographing trees, particularly those with character. This made him a man who knew how to find wonder in the small things. Justine found her grandfather's legacy to be a guiding light amid the growing waves of the haunting melodies of a changing world. As she embarked on her own odyssey, she understood that the wonders of the world weren't just confined to the grandiose; they flourished in the hidden corners of the Earth, just waiting for someone...

Birungi's journey starts with her ancestors, who always found inspiration in nature for their creative work. Through the use of banana tree fibers, bark cloth, and batik techniques native to Uganda, they crafted various forms of art that shaped her childhood. This left her with a profound respectful relationship with the natural world, driving her to revisit these traditions and incorporate them into her own life, leading her to become a collage artist and art tutor. Influenced by her...

Daiva's journey began in Lithuania, where rich cultural folklore wove a profound love for the performing arts into the very core of her being. During her exploration of diverse talents and encounters with pivotal figures, Daiva paused, allowing the peaceful silence of nature to guide her. In that serene moment, she not only listened but also embarked on a new path. Leaving everything behind, she followed the footsteps of permaculture and regenerative design, choosing to infuse these...

"It's not an appropriate job for women"; Favour had to face numerous challenges and obstacles when she decided to pursue a career in forestry: the opposition of her family and societal norms. Yet, this hasn't stopped her from exploring her connection with nature, driven by her love for the environment and the desire to make a difference. Something she deeply inherited from her grandmother, a dedicated farmer in the village who taught her about nature's enchanting beauty, its secrets, its...

Ana and Andrea inherited important knowledge from their great-grandmother. She was a wise woman who left the highlands for the coast to secure her family's future. She believed that if you have received any good opportunity to have a better life, you shouldn't forget to open up those opportunities to the people around you and who will come.    Ana and Andrea grew up in the village of Chepén, Peru, where the impact of climatic events on their families and community sparked reflection on...

Dawa Yangi Sherpa is a Sherpa-Nepali woman, who grew up in a culture where mountains are deities and nature is an entity to be respected. As she grew up and moved from Nepal to India and then to the United States, she embarked on a path that called her and led her to reconnect with her roots, rediscovering the wisdom and knowledge of her ancestors. What did she learn? Does reconnecting with nature mean reconnecting with our roots? Is traditional knowledge the key to the world we...

Have you ever heard stories where rivers are sacred, healing, and creative? Well, let us tell you one: Tessel is a Dutch artist, who was lulled by the sound of rivers, waterfalls and waves, who developed an admiration for the natural world, its shapes, colors, and secrets. The secrets that fascinated her as a child, watching time go by through the movements of water, and that she began to unravel as she grew older, after numerous dips in the cold Swiss rivers. Why did it help her to...

Natalie Sifuma grew up in Nairobi and spent most of her childhood living close to the Arboretum, an oasis near the city center. It was here that she first had a love for trees, but it wasn't until she started working with a storytelling firm in 2017 that she found a creative way to connect with people, places, and the environment, and begin using stories to share information. In January, Natalie visited the Nairobi Arboretum on her way to work, and this inspired her to write a story:...

Asmita is a young woman from western Nepal who recently completed her Bachelor's in Forestry from Tribhuwan University. When she was a child, her parents, originally from the mountains of Nepal, used to draw their resources from nature, like the Ayurvedic products they added to their tea. Asmita, at the age of six or seven, did not want to go to school anymore - which her father agreed to on the condition that she do the daily chores around the house. So he took her to the community...

Ashley is a storyteller, she first started by searching for fossils at her grandmother's house and saving the trees in her garden.She traveled to the Caribbean, saw the rainforest, and was blown away by the fact that the local people ate termites because of their amount of protein and how the termites lived with tree species. Growing up, Ashley wanted to study biology and become an artist. Although specializations like those in the United States diverged, she couldn't stop doing both. As a...

Cecilia lives in the center of Argentina, in a region that is a wetland, having one of the biggest rivers in South America. She is an environmental advocate, a COP26 Youth Delegate & COP27 Young Negotiator. As a student, she spent many years learning about the importance of her lands, about how rich the biodiversity was, and how her Indigenous ancestors used to live from what they could get from the ground. However, due to climate change, in 2020, Argentina experienced the worst...

Have you ever felt part of something bigger, something that the world we created did not manifest? Well, we are part of nature, nature is the great center of everything, it is our home and where we come from. For this second introductory episode, I’m happy to introduce you to Tania Roa, a wildlife, environmental and social justice advocate. Tania will take you on a rethinking path of our place on Earth from Anthropocentrism to Ecocentrism, she will share with you her passion for nature,...

Imagine yourself millions of years ago. Around you, nature, birdsong, the sound of water; dunes and plains as far as the eye can see. It is very green, so green that we do not ask ourselves the question; are we nature? In this introductory episode, I'm going to take you back to the heart of where we came from and to what has always been in us, nature. A return to our roots that explains the creation of the podcast, its format and how reconnecting to ourselves and nature is a step towards...