COP16 Biodiversity Conference

Alrededor del Árbol for COP16 Biodiversity Conference, Cali, Colombia, 2024

Earthrise Studio invited Más Arte Más Acción (MAMA) to join them at Project Everyone’s Nature House during the COP16 biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia. In response, MAMA produced a special version of the circular table installation and soundscape, incorporating contributions from Centro Siembra and the Atrato Guardians.

Presented in October 2024 in partnership with Global Witness, the installation highlighted the stories of the Atrato Guardians—14 Indigenous and Afro-Colombian representatives dedicated to defending the rights of the Rio Atrato in Chocó.

The table and soundscape installation focused on the biocultural and legal significance of the river, whose rights were legally recognized by Colombia in 2017. It emphasized how the Guardianes defend the river and the communities that depend on it, despite ongoing threats to themselves and the river ecosystem from deforestation, mining, contamination and the illegal drug trade.

Through open dialogue, attendees engaged with the vital relationship between communities, the river, and the environment, inspiring collective action to safeguard biodiversity and protect human rights, especially those of the defenders.