While this is a catalytic time for equity and diversity in environmental, conservation, and sustainability efforts, there has also been a significant lack of attention to the connection migrants have to the environment. Because they are newcomers to a place, they predominantly have less access to resources and land, and this may be related to their exclusion from  the aforementioned efforts. However, many migrants have arrived with important ties to the environment as they have often participated in agriculture and conservation in their home countries. Not to mention that many migrants are Indigenous people in their homelands and have maintained ancestral social-ecological relationships. Because of the distance to their homes and communities and lack of access to land, the ecological knowledge of migrants is threatened with disappearing, especially with the common pressure of assimilating to a new country in order to succeed.​

Through interviews and reports, this project aims to create an audiovisual space to celebrate the ecological knowledge of migrants that has often been marginalized. It hopes to contribute to documenting their knowledge and ecological  experiences in their home and current countries, so it is not lost and can be accessible to diverse communities, including the descendants of migrants. By uplifting the international narratives of migrants, the project will also shine light on the interconnected global forces impacting our communities and environments in our global social-ecological system. 

Because of the background of the project lead, this initiative will begin by working with migrants from Southern American countries to the U.S.A.​​​

If you are interested in learning more about this project, please email Katia Carranza at equityandsustainability@gmail.com and visit equityandsustainability.com/migrant-ecological-relationships. If you are interested in sharing your story through an interview, please fill out this form.