Sun 22 Feb 2026, 16:00 – The Guardians of the Woodlands of Rio de Janeiro, video & Q&A

On February 2026, in the mood of COP30 in Belém (Brazil), European audiences in Amsterdam and Brussels will have the opportunity to meet female eco-community leaders and see a sample of videos made by themselves showing their work about environment. A debate will follow the presentation of the videos. These women work in a program called Guardiãs das Matas / Guardians of the Woodlands created by the Secretariat of Environment and Climate of the City of Rio de Janeiro.

The Program Guardians of the Woodlands has the goal to empower women in vulnerable areas and to develop environment & climate education and also to create a dialogue between the City Government and low income population aiming at environmental improvements. The videos are the result of 38 workshops on educational cinema tools given by a Brazilian Project, Cine-Educação, whose directors - Bernard Brito and Juliana Caciquinho - will be present together with some Guardian leaders that will be chosen in a Festival to be held in November in Brazil. This Festival is a showcase of environment and climate education practices in an urban perspective enhancing women’s role on changing perspectives and behavior.

Rio de Janeiro is one of the cities with most green covered areas in the world. Located at the South Atlantic coast, Rio has breathtaking views with the city’s characteristic geography of mountains, beaches, lagoons, rich flora and fauna, nested in the Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica), one of the richest biodiversity biomes in the world. An ecosystem also heavily threatened by human action.

A historic and increasing irregular soil occupation going up forested hills and green peripheral zones was made by humans in the city. This hampers the natural environment life, and also human life is affected by loss of forest. Fragments of the Atlantic Forest’s dense vegetation is essential in the urban area to keep the climate adequate for health and nice living conditions such as mild temperatures, natural water supplies and so on. Therefore, the city has a vital challenge to deal with deforestation and connected activities.

Moreover, the region topography brings land slide risks in these forest border areas. This can be aggravated by inadequate waste disposal and fragile house building with no technical orientation and city approval. This alerts for services by Government and environment consciousness by the population. To bring environment and climate awareness to everyday life is a core issue to avoid tragedies and harsh situations.

A significant number of residents living close to forested zones is made of low income families. These are vulnerable communities where there are fewer public services, small Government institutional presence and lack of communication between officials and the communities. Due to the irregular construction of housing, fear and tension also occur, making it difficult to perform the tasks of the controlling agencies.

The lack of mutual confidence rises an invisible wall. How to manage vulnerable populations and forest preservation? How to develop a dialogue between Government and communities? And how to tackle environment conservation issues under so many pressures?

Guardians of the Woodlands Program
Coincidentally, the Environment and Climate Secretariat (SMAC/PMRJ) of the city of Rio headed by a black woman and most voted politician to the City Council - Tainá de Paula – observed the lack of women involved in city public services. Thus, Tainá saw an opportunity to combine gender balance and potential efficiency in environmental education by recruiting women with community roots to participate in environment policies.

Guardiãs das Matas/ Guardians of the Woodlands Program was then created in 2023. Based on female community leaders, Guardians of the Woodlands aims to give visibility, value and also empower women from local territories to become Guardians of bordering forest areas, allowing necessary environmental preservation actions in the communities themselves.

Therefore, in one hand, these Guardians act as representatives of the Rio City Government in the community, helping local people to bring up issues. On the other hand, due to their knowledge on practical issues (such as the available resources, public facilities, associations etc.); local history, geography and culture, they can better engage local people in interactive environmental practices focusing on preservation. Nowadays, 57 forest areas are in the Program, including 340 field workers.

How the Program works?
Local leaders or candidates are nominated by local civil society organizations to become members of the Guardians of the Woodlands Scholarship Program, funded by the Rio de Janeiro Environment and Climate Secretariat – SMAC/PMRJ.

These women are not seen as empty boxes to be filled with technical skills, but rather are recognized for their resilience and knowledge acquired through practical experience in the micro-regions where they live. They also receive scholarships to participate in tailored courses on environmental topics at institutions such as the highly ranked Environmental Health and Assessment Laboratory of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz). They are also responsible for developing activities in teams composed of field technicians and coordinators, with specific areas of expertise in each territory.

The action in the Program happens through local communities dialogue, making the population of peripheral areas, which are part of the preservation problem, into the solution makers.

These women have a key role on coordination, communication and hands on actions.

Video as a tool for citizenship and environment policies
Making videos using simple mobile phones was an audiovisual tool of communication that has been developed by Cine-Education/ Cine-Educação Project since 2018. The Project created by Brazilian teachers and audiovisual professionals aims to promote popular cinema through free screenings, debates, public exhibitions, and training tool for students and community agents in the production of audiovisual narratives from their territories. Considering Cinema is an important tool in reaffirming the notion of rights and social inclusion, this Project encourages new filmmakers, and searches cultural exchange based on art and education. The project's goal is to democratize access to cinema through screenings, festivals, and learning workshops.

The videos help the Guardians of the Woodlands to better manage the forest and to publicize their actions and campaigns. They also use these materials to promote lectures and workshops on nature and environment in schools, reaching young people. And last but not least, they can promote their work and the Guardians of the Woodlands Program itself outside the community.

Guardians of the Woodlands Specific Activities
To promote environmental awareness within local communities through a series of educational initiatives, such as community events and school workshops. These activities engage participants of all ages, offering interactive talks, dynamic experiences, and discussions on sustainable practices.

To encourage the collection and reuse of used cooking oil — a campaign that not only recycles waste but also contributes to environmental education by demonstrating how this material can be transformed into new products, preventing garbage and environmental contamination.

To prevent and control the illegal dumping of waste and debris in forest areas, while also conducting systematic clean-up operations throughout these zones.

The presentation in Europe
This presentation in Europe brings together several organizations, and it is a collaborative initiative of volunteers from the Councils of Brazilian Citizens and NGOs of Brazilians living abroad. They are the Citizenship Council of the Netherlands (CCPB), the Association of Brazilians Living Abroad (CRBE), Fam and Events, Teatro Munganga, Cine-Educação Project—and it is made possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Secretariat of Environment and Climate (SMAC/PMRJ) of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Associação CRBE – Conselho de Representantes de Brasileiros no Exterior
Website:     https://crbe.com.br
Facebook:  CRBE - Conselho de Representantes de Brasileiros no Exterior | Facebook
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nossocrbe
YouTube:    https://bit.ly/tv-crbe ; https://www.youtube.com/@tvcrbe6217

CCPB – Conselho de Cidadania dos Países Baixos
Website:     www.conselhopaisesbaixos.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/conselhonl
Instagram: www.instagram.com/conselhonl
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