#213 | How Indigenous Wisdom and Modern Science Are Revolutionizing Amazon Rainforest Conservation with Rosa Espinoza, PhD (Inbetweenersode #2)

About this episode

Dr. Rosa Espinoza discusses the intersection of indigenous wisdom and modern science in Amazon rainforest conservation.

Join host Brooke Mitchell for an incredible conversation with Dr. Rosa Espinoza, PhD scientist and author of "The Spirit of the Rainforest: How Indigenous Wisdom and Scientific Curiosity Reconnects Us to the Natural World." Rosa shares her groundbreaking Amazon rainforest research, including her discovery of stingless bees as Earth's oldest pollinators (80 million years old) and their medicinal honey properties used in COVID-19 treatment by indigenous communities. Learn how traditional indigenous knowledge bridges with modern conservation science, from animal self-medication research inspired by ayahuasca experiences to new Peruvian legislation protecting native bee species. Rosa explains why everyone on Earth is connected to the Amazon ecosystem through weather patterns, food systems, and natural medicines, while exploring zoopharmacognosy (animal self-medication), ethnobotany, and the beautiful indigenous concept of "living beautifully" as environmental stewardship. This episode reveals how traditional ecological knowledge from Amazonian communities guides cutting-edge scientific discoveries in biodiversity conservation, pollinator research, and sustainable environmental…

People in this episode

Host: Brooke Mitchell

Guest: Rosa Espinoza

Topics covered

• Amazon rainforest conservation
• indigenous wisdom
• modern science
• biodiversity
• traditional medicine
• environmental stewardship

Keywords

• conservation biology
• indigenous rights
• zoopharmacognosy
• ethnobotany
• pollinator research
• climate science
• sustainable practices

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Spirit of the Rainforest

Places: Amazon, Peru, COVID-19

More episodes of Rewildology

• The Long Game: Forging the Amazon's Next Chapter · June 9, 2026 · 33 min
• The New Economy: Making the Amazon Forest Worth More Standing · June 2, 2026 · 37 min
• Whose Forest? The Defenders of the Amazon · May 26, 2026 · 42 min
• Rivers in the Sky: The Amazon's Tipping Point, Sentinel Dolphins & the Geothermal Deep · May 19, 2026 · 34 min
• Seeing the Invisible: Tracking Destruction, Measuring Recovery · May 12, 2026 · 31 min
• The Severed Lifeline: Rebuilding a Fragmented Amazon · May 5, 2026 · 33 min