As global ambassador for the international non-profit Youth4Nature, it is Peter Bulimo’s job to make sure that the voices of youth are heard — not just heard — amplified to a level that they capture a world-wide audience. To empower Kenya’s next generation to lead on climate action, Bulimo gathers impactful stories and guides young people on communicating their experiences through storytelling. These stories help promote change at a time when progress in conservation has been stifled by injustice and inequality, Bulimo says. 

Top-down approaches to forest conservation have led to the sidelining of Indigenous communities and the country’s youth in the decision, planning and development process, Bulimo says. Such approaches often end up separating communities from their forests, resulting in further degradation of tropical landscapes, he says.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach,” says Bulimo. “Understanding local context and dynamics positively correlates with conservation and restoration outcomes.”

Bulimo enrolled in the Tropical Forest Landscapes online certificate program to get an in-depth understanding of the intricacies of conservation and restoration, what works, why it works, and how to make change happen.

“TFL has been an eye-opener thus far. I am glad I am now empowered to pass what I’m learning and this new knowledge to those who need it most,” he says.