The resilience of the Cerrado is reflected in the strength of its guardians. It is with this inspiration that ISPN launches the 7th season of the Canto da Coruja Comunidade podcast, dedicated to the women of the Cerrado who participated in the Cerrativismo – Mulheres das Águas training program.
The new season arrives at a crucial moment, with Brazil about to host COP30, which begins next week in Belém (PA). By amplifying the voices of women from the Cerrado, ISPN anticipates one of the central debates at the conference: the role of traditional communities and women in protecting biomes and confronting the climate crisis. The series also reinforces the urgency of looking beyond the Amazon and recognizing the Cerrado as an essential biome for the country's water and climate security.
Therefore, this edition of Canto da Coruja delves into the life stories and struggles of Indigenous, Quilombola, and peasant women who act as defenders of the biome and community life. These are accounts that unite love for the land, the waters, and their families, and reveal how activism flourishes in the act of transforming indignation into action.
“I say that women should be wherever they want to be. And sometimes we understand more than men how beautiful nature is. How important the Cerrado is for everyone, for our children, our family, and for the future,” stated Maria José, from Balsas, a municipality in southern Maranhão.
“Being an activist in the Cerrado, being a Cerrado activist woman, means choosing not to stand idly by and watch history unfold,” summarizes presenter Mara Régia, an icon of Brazilian radio and the guiding voice of the series.
Cerrativismo – Women of the Waters: activism and political advocacy
The Cerrativismo training program is a formative process created by ISPN in 2019, aimed at strengthening activism and political advocacy in the Cerrado. In 2025, the program brought together female leaders from six strategic landscapes: Alto Jequitinhonha (MG), southern Maranhão, western Bahia, Guarani-Kaiowá territories (MS), Kalunga territory (GO), and southern Piauí. Learn more here.
During the training, held in three modules between June and October of this year in Brasília (DF), the participants exchanged experiences, discussed public policies, and strengthened mobilization networks in defense of the biome. It was in this context that the motto that marks the series was born: "What women want is the Cerrado standing." During filming, the women also visited the National Congress and participated in the 4th Indigenous Women's March.
Five episodes, many powerful voices.
Recorded in Brasília in August, during the second module of the training, the new season brings together moving and inspiring stories. Read a summary of the episodes below.
- Episode 1 – “Women of the Waters”
It features Mara Régia's encounter with the participants and presents voices such as Alciléia Conceição, Raimunda Ribeiro, Maria de Lourdes, Ítala Nayane, Derismar Pereira, Neltinha Oliveira, Francisca Raimunda, Juliana Silva, and Lileia Almeida, who share stories of resistance, motherhood, and environmental activism. Access the first episode here.. - Episode 2 – “Ancestry, women's knowledge and projects for empowerment”
Featuring Lileia Pedro de Almeida (Guarani Kaiowá – MS) and Alciléia Conceição (Quilombo Kalunga – GO), the episode discusses the love for planting, the defense of nature, and the Kalunga Sociobiodiversity Fruits project, which strengthens the community economy. Access the second episode here. - Episode 3 – “Leadership training and transforming women's lives”
It features Maria de Lourdes (PI) and Raimunda Ribeiro (MA), who confront the advance of agribusiness and land grabbing, keeping alive the struggle for land and community education. Listen to the third episode here. - Episode 4 – “Devastation, threats, and women in the fight”
The stories of Juliana Silva (BA) and Maria José Lima da Silva (MA) demonstrate the courage of women who resist environmental destruction and keep alive the tradition of planting and harvesting native fruits of the Cerrado. Listen to the fourth episode here.. - Episode 5 – “Struggle for land, diversity of the countryside and joy of the women”
The season closes with Neltinha (MG), Derismar (PI) and Ítala (BA), who talk about agroecology, abundance, rural education and the joy that sustains resistance in the Cerrado. Listen to the episode here.
The 7th season of Canto da Coruja Comunidade, Women of the Waters edition, was produced by Vem de Áudio and featured production by Carol Fasolo, Naiara Bertoli, Letícia Leite, Camila Barra, Isabel Figueiredo, Andreza Baré, and Camila Araújo. It is presented by Mara Régia. The script and editing are by Caio Santos. The podcast is produced by the Instituto Sociedade, População e Natureza (ISPN), with support from CEPF.