grantees » Pedro da Silva Nogueira

Pedro is an energetic young man who became interested in sustainability issues in his country as an undergraduate student in biology.  During his studies he was involved in a broad spectrum of research projects and activities: environmental sustainability of rural communities, mammals and birds’ ecology, and stakeholders’ perceptions of urban protected areas. His nominator underlines that “Pedro has made a significant and lasting impact to an entire region, socially, economically and environmentally, being able to interact with and earn the trust of the traditional population living near the park and help them access fulfilling employment opportunities”. Pedro identifies a shift in mindset to a more “sustainability conscious” approach towards business planning, policy making and infrastructure building.  What motivated him to apply for a JWH initiative grant was his desire to gain a better and deeper understanding of sustainable development and sustainability challenges, and turn the talk into action.

Pedro used the JWH initiative grant to cover the costs of a sustainable leadership program called New Earth Leaders from the association LEAD/ABDL Brazil. He gained a great deal of knowledge about the U process, an expanded network and an increased sense of commitment, responsibility and confidence. He now has the tools to identify and engage stakeholders in a more efficient way, and organize more productive, interesting and representative meetings. His communication skills have also greatly improved: “If we want to engage people it is important to be creative and make people feel connected. Furthermore,  I believe that for a good relationship to develop, it’s necessary to understand people rather than simply target them.” Overall, Pedro feels that “what was crucial during all this process is that I had the opportunity to go through a process of self-awareness, which is the base for the best contribution that I can provide for the society.”

Pedro continues his work in the Ecopantanal organization as a technical assistant and he’s currently involved in two projects focusing on traditional communities and ecosystem ecology.  What he learned through his leadership development has proved essential, as he’s been able to “isolate a very defined “first step”, allow[ing] me to focus on that step and then build on the project from there.” He is also working on a new perspective to bring new opportunities for education, jobs and income for these people based on their Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK).  About exchanging experiences with the other grantees, he says: “For sure. I’m very interested in meeting and sharing my experiences with the other grantees. If someone is coming to Brazil and wants the visit the region where I live, which is a wonderful place, it would be a pleasure to introduce you to these places!”