I started Meli (Meli Bees Network, non-profit recognized by the German government) after growing up in some of the most deforested areas of the Brazilian Amazon, the Arc of Deforestation, and seeing how the deforestation is deeply connected with human rights abuses. As a migrant in Germany, I connected with other Forest Defenders globally and saw how the same structural challenges are faced by multiple Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) across the globe.

As Meli’s regenerative activities further developed, I could reconnect with my own heritage, visiting the region where my mom comes from and meeting not only my aunts and cousins (Omágua), but also the entire regenerative ecosystem in a region I just knew from my mother’s stories: Alto Solimões. A complex region, that faces multiple challenges and where multiple cultures flourish.

We have engaged multiple “Pollinators” from the Omágua, Kokama and Tikuna peoples in our Pollinators Program. That lead to the development of a very successful Meliponiculture Workshop in 2025, that was even highlighted in the local TV, and opened the doors to further support the communities developing their regenerative practices. This context motivated the multiple indigenous communities engaged in our network to further develop their agroforestry, raising their food sovereignty and protecting their local biodiversity.