Expert Corner:
Aleyda Capella on the Value of Local and Traditional Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
Aleyda Capella is a traditional and local knowledge expert for the Dominican Republic national ecosystem assessment. With over 11 years of experience in the environmental field, Aleyda has dedicated her life to protecting biodiversity.
Aleyda Capella is a traditional and local knowledge expert for the Dominican Republic national ecosystem assessment. With over 11 years of experience in the environmental field, Aleyda has dedicated her life to protecting biodiversity.
Aleyda Capella shares her journey – from childhood curiosity to a lifelong commitment to environmental conservation. Drawing from her experiences with ILK_Move and the national ecosystem assessment initiative, she highlights the significance of Indigenous and local knowledge in protecting biodiversity, fostering collaboration across borders and ensuring women’s voices are central to conservation efforts. Through her story, we gain insight into the power of community-driven solutions and the enduring impact of traditional wisdom in safeguarding our planet.
Aleyda Capella shares her journey – from childhood curiosity to a lifelong commitment to environmental conservation.
Drawing from her experiences with ILK_Move and the national ecosystem assessment initiative, she highlights the significance of Indigenous and local knowledge in protecting biodiversity, fostering collaboration across borders and ensuring women’s voices are central to conservation efforts. Through her story, we gain insight into the power of community-driven solutions and the enduring impact of traditional wisdom in safeguarding our planet.
How does your personal story interweave with nature and how did it motivate you to pursue this career?
My father was an agronomist and often took us to the countryside to visit farmers or explore new places. I remember saying as a child that when I grew up, I wanted to cure plant diseases. When I learned the term “phytopathologist”, people were surprised that a 6- or 7-year-old could know and understand such a word. Life took many turns, and while I began studying biology at university, I ultimately graduated as an agricultural engineer. My thesis, which focused on the potential uses of forest species in Los Haitises National Park, redirected my interests. Since then – 27 years ago – I’ve worked in environmental conservation, education and natural resource management, and although I'm still passionate, sometimes I feel like challenges keep adding up.
However, small moments keep my passion alive – like a child handing me a thank you note after learning about mangroves at their school. These moments fuel my hope and dedication to the work that I do.
How does your personal story interweave with nature and how did it motivate you to pursue this career?
My father was an agronomist and often took us to the countryside to visit farmers or explore new places. I remember saying as a child that when I grew up, I wanted to cure plant diseases. When I learned the term “phytopathologist”, people were surprised that a 6- or 7-year-old could know and understand such a word. Life took many turns, and while I began studying biology at university, I ultimately graduated as an agricultural engineer. My thesis, which focused on the potential uses of forest species in Los Haitises National Park, redirected my interests. Since then – 27 years ago – I’ve worked in environmental conservation, education and natural resource management, and although I'm still passionate, sometimes I feel like challenges keep adding up.
However, small moments keep my passion alive – like a child handing me a thank you note after learning about mangroves at their school. These moments fuel my hope and dedication to the work that I do.
What inspired you to join ILK_Move and how does it align with your passion for conservation?
My involvement began through the national ecosystem assessment (NEA) Initiative, as I had prior experience working on traditional uses of endemic species for essential oil extraction and product diversification. This rekindled my interest in traditional knowledge and the role of this knowledge in NEAs. Over time, I realized that ancestral practices, rooted in observation and passed down through generations, are often central to conservation. My collaboration with ILK_Move highlights how important it is to recover and protect local knowledge to safeguard our environment and resources.
Throughout my life, I have met many local knowledge holders who shared stories about how they cultivated certain crops or the various uses they found for them. At the time, I mostly took these stories in as general cultural knowledge. However, over time, I began to see that this knowledge and these ancestral practices were closely aligned with environmental conservation. Even though this knowledge was based on observation, empirical methods or traditions passed down from parents or grandparents, rather than science, these people had a deep, lived connection with nature. Now, through my collaboration with ILK_Move, I understand that we must revive and value local and traditional knowledge to help conserve our environment and natural resources.
What inspired you to join ILK_Move and how does it align with your passion for conservation?
My involvement began through the national ecosystem assessment (NEA) Initiative, as I had prior experience working on traditional uses of endemic species for essential oil extraction and product diversification. This rekindled my interest in traditional knowledge and the role of this knowledge in NEAs. Over time, I realized that ancestral practices, rooted in observation and passed down through generations, are often central to conservation. My collaboration with ILK_Move highlights how important it is to recover and protect local knowledge to safeguard our environment and resources.
Throughout my life, I have met many local knowledge holders who shared stories about how they cultivated certain crops or the various uses they found for them. At the time, I mostly took these stories in as general cultural knowledge. However, over time, I began to see that this knowledge and these ancestral practices were closely aligned with environmental conservation. Even though this knowledge was based on observation, empirical methods or traditions passed down from parents or grandparents, rather than science, these people had a deep, lived connection with nature. Now, through my collaboration with ILK_Move, I understand that we must revive and value local and traditional knowledge to help conserve our environment and natural resources.
Can you share a story about the benefits of working together with ILK_Move members from other countries around the world?
A long time ago, I learned a saying that goes, "Alone, we go faster, but together, we go further." I don’t know its origin, but the message is clear to me: we need to work together to achieve our goals. Getting to know and work with other ILK_Move members has been an incredible experience, both personally and professionally. It has taught me that, despite our cultural and geographical differences, we share similar objectives and challenges. By exchanging lessons learned from our individual biodiversity conservation processes, we can support each other, ultimately leading to a better environment for everyone.
Can you share a story about the benefits of working together with ILK_Move members from other countries around the world?
A long time ago, I learned a saying that goes, "Alone, we go faster, but together, we go further." I don’t know its origin, but the message is clear to me: we need to work together to achieve our goals. Getting to know and work with other ILK_Move members has been an incredible experience, both personally and professionally. It has taught me that, despite our cultural and geographical differences, we share similar objectives and challenges. By exchanging lessons learned from our individual biodiversity conservation processes, we can support each other, ultimately leading to a better environment for everyone.
Which ILK_Move initiative stands out to you as a success? How has sharing experiences across countries impacted your work on mangroves or other ecosystems in the Dominican Republic?
As part of this NEA process, I believe the most successful initiative was our National Workshop on Local and Traditional Knowledge held in 2022 with guidance and support from UNESCO. The workshop achieved gender equity in participation, included local knowledge holders from different regions of the country and, most importantly, highlighted the pride with which each participant shared their knowledge and showcased products typical to their communities.
Additionally, exchanging experiences is always enriching, not only with people from the same country, but also from different parts of the world. It makes you realize that you are not alone in the search for solutions or in the fight to conserve ecosystems, especially mangroves. Conversations with colleagues reveal shared concerns, vulnerabilities and, why not, the small achievements we reach together in conserving this ecosystem, which is so vital at local, regional and global levels.
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
Which ILK_Move initiative stands out to you as a success? How has sharing experiences across countries impacted your work on mangroves or other ecosystems in the Dominican Republic?
As part of this NEA process, I believe the most successful initiative was our National Workshop on Local and Traditional Knowledge held in 2022 with guidance and support from UNESCO. The workshop achieved gender equity in participation, included local knowledge holders from different regions of the country and, most importantly, highlighted the pride with which each participant shared their knowledge and showcased products typical to their communities.
Additionally, exchanging experiences is always enriching, not only with people from the same country, but also from different parts of the world. It makes you realize that you are not alone in the search for solutions or in the fight to conserve ecosystems, especially mangroves. Conversations with colleagues reveal shared concerns, vulnerabilities and, why not, the small achievements we reach together in conserving this ecosystem, which is so vital at local, regional and global levels.
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
Photo courtesy of UNDP – Dominican Republic
How has ILK_Move highlighted women’s role in passing down Indigenous and local knowledge?
Historically, in my country, the Dominican Republic (RD), nearly all sectors have been dominated by men, with women relegated to secondary roles. Although women have increasingly claimed their space in recent years, significant inequities persist, particularly in rural communities, where men and women have assigned roles and use natural resources differently within their areas. Despite modernization, it is often challenging to drive change in these rural groups.
With the experience and knowledge of the NEA-RD team, we incorporated a gender perspective from the outset of the project. When scheduling meetings and workshops, we considered the time and day of the week to ensure that women could participate and contribute. We view gender as a critical aspect of the NEA process. Without women’s participation, we would only gather part of the necessary knowledge. For this reason, during the initial phase of NEA-RD, we developed a gender strategy to guide the inclusion of local women in all project activities.
How has ILK_Move highlighted women’s role in passing down Indigenous and local knowledge?
Historically, in my country, the Dominican Republic (RD), nearly all sectors have been dominated by men, with women relegated to secondary roles. Although women have increasingly claimed their space in recent years, significant inequities persist, particularly in rural communities, where men and women have assigned roles and use natural resources differently within their areas. Despite modernization, it is often challenging to drive change in these rural groups.
With the experience and knowledge of the NEA-RD team, we incorporated a gender perspective from the outset of the project. When scheduling meetings and workshops, we considered the time and day of the week to ensure that women could participate and contribute. We view gender as a critical aspect of the NEA process. Without women’s participation, we would only gather part of the necessary knowledge. For this reason, during the initial phase of NEA-RD, we developed a gender strategy to guide the inclusion of local women in all project activities.
What message would you share with women and girls about the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge in conservation?
First, it is essential to highlight that, since time immemorial, women have played a crucial role in caring for the family’s food and health – both aspects deeply connected to local and traditional knowledge. That’s why it is so important for women and girls to recognize that they are not just a part of this legacy, but essential to preserving it. Women are the guardians of this knowledge and carry the responsibility of passing it on to future generations.
To younger women, I say: learn from it, honour it and keep it alive, because understanding where we come from will help us understand where we are and where we are headed as humanity.
What message would you share with women and girls about the importance of Indigenous and local knowledge in conservation?
First, it is essential to highlight that, since time immemorial, women have played a crucial role in caring for the family’s food and health – both aspects deeply connected to local and traditional knowledge. That’s why it is so important for women and girls to recognize that they are not just a part of this legacy, but essential to preserving it. Women are the guardians of this knowledge and carry the responsibility of passing it on to future generations.
To younger women, I say: learn from it, honour it and keep it alive, because understanding where we come from will help us understand where we are and where we are headed as humanity.
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