Echoes Of Memory

Colombia is the most biodiverse country per square kilometre in the world, but it is also the most dangerous country for environmental leaders. 461 were killed between 2012 and 2023.
In 2016, a peace treaty was signed between the government and the largest guerrilla group (FARC), creating mechanisms to recognise and provide reparations to victims.
However, the treaty created a power vacuum that allowed dissident groups to rearm and illegal settlers to occupy land within protected areas. It also opened the door for multinationals to push the agricultural frontier into sensitive areas that, lacking proper oversight, have expanded into protected areas. This has spread the already scarce resources of park rangers thin, putting at risk their conservation efforts. Now more than ever, their work must be recognised and safeguarded under treaty mechanisms to ensure they can operate in a secure and sustainable manner. This is where Gisela’s journey starts.

This project aims to transform the legal and professional reality for Colombia’s park rangers. Despite being on the frontlines of the armed conflict, the rangers lack the labour protections afforded to other high-risk civil servants.
Objectives:
Legal Recognition: We will provide the JEP (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz) with visual evidence to officially recognise rangers as victims of the conflict, enabling collective reparation.
Policy Reform: In partnership with labour unions and Parques Nacionales Naturales, the film will advocate for a Fair Work Regime that includes life insurance and high-risk pension benefits.
Narrative Justice: We will shift public perception to see the environment not as a “silent victim,” but as a territory defended by vulnerable, essential human lives.
By targeting screenings for magistrates and Ministry officials, the documentary will serve as a direct tool for institutional change—ensuring those who protect Colombia’s heritage are protected by its laws.

Legal Recognition: We will use the film as visual evidence to pressure the JEP to grant park rangers official statusas victims of the conflict, facilitating collective reparation.
Policy Reform: Partnering with labor unions and Parques Nacionales, we aim to trigger a legislative debate for aFair Work Regime that includes life insurance, high-risk pensions, and specialized security protocols.
Setting a precedent: Recognizing Nature as a victim of the conflict will also create a strong precedent for othercountries to recognize nature as a subject of rights, allowing it to be protected more effectively.

Growing up in Colombia in the middle of the armed conflict, it was really hard to accept that some of the most beautiful areas of my country—and the world—were off-limits because of the war. When I moved to Australia and started enjoying the national parks here, I realized how much of a positive impact nature can have on a person. It was then that I learned about the work of park rangers in Australia and the huge impact they have.
It made me think about what was happening back home, and how hard it must be for the rangers in Colombia to protect those high-risk zones. When I spoke with Gisela for the first time, she told me that making a documentary about their journey would be a perfect ‘symbolic reparation’ for the victims. That’s when I knew I had a story to tell. I felt this calling to give back to my country, to my homeland.

From a broad public perspective, our goal is to turn awareness into action. We want people to join this movement, not just by signing the petition, but by writing directly to the JEP magistrates. This collective social pressure is vital to demand the dignity, safety, and fair labour standards these rangers have earned.
When addressing lawmakers and those in power, our message is even more urgent: we are asking you to formalise the protection of those who protect our planet. These rangers risk everything to guard a natural heritage that belongs to the entire world; it is only just that we, in turn, guarantee them the safety and security they deserve.