Black Jaguar Foundation founder Ben Valks joined the episode “The Severed Lifeline: Rebuilding a Fragmented Amazon” on the Rewildology podcast, an international platform focused on stories, research, and initiatives related to conservation and ecological restoration around the world.
In the episode, journalist Brooke Mitchell explores how Amazon fragmentation is affecting biodiversity, local communities, and the future of the forest. Throughout the conversation, experts and local leaders share perspectives on conservation, ecological connectivity, and large-scale restoration.
Alongside Ben Valks, the episode also features Juliana Martins, road ecologist and PhD candidate at Imperial College London, and Bruno Paladines, coordinator of the Amazon Platform at Nature and Culture International.
Representing the Black Jaguar Foundation, Ben shares the vision behind the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor — one of the world’s largest ecological restoration initiatives — which aims to reconnect the Amazon and Cerrado across 2,600 km.
The conversation highlights how large-scale restoration goes far beyond planting trees. It involves restoring soils and water systems, strengthening biodiversity, and building long-term collaboration with farmers, local communities, and technical teams working to regenerate the landscape.
The episode also reinforces the essential role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in protecting forests, showing how lasting solutions depend on collective action, territorial knowledge, science, and long-term commitment.
The impacts of this restoration are already becoming visible in areas where native species — including giant anteaters, tapirs, and jaguars — are beginning to return.
🎧 Listen to the episode on Rewildology
▶️ Watch on YouTube
