Defending the rainforest: Daniela Orofino Poubel's fight for the Amazon and its peoples
- S4E4
- 36:54
- November 20th 2025
What does it take to defend the Amazon, and why does it matter for the whole world?
In this episode of Reimagining Government, hosts Gabrielle Beran and Kandice Louis-Wilson speak with Daniela Orofino Poubel, Director at Amazônia de Pé, a Brazilian grassroots movement uniting over 300 organisations to protect the rainforest and its peoples.
Daniela shares her journey from organising on the ground to building national coalitions, the challenges and power of collective action, and why optimism is as vital as urgency in the climate fight.
This conversation reveals lessons for governments everywhere on listening to grassroots voices, learning from Indigenous knowledge, and rethinking who holds power as the world responds to a changing climate.
Reimagining Government
Governments everywhere are under mounting pressure to deliver the results people expect, while remaining trusted and relevant. Yet today’s systems and structures often struggle to respond to the complexity of the world we live in. Wicked challenges such as the climate crisis, deepening inequality, and the disruptive power of new technologies are forcing us to rethink how government works.
From the Centre for Public Impact, this podcast explores radical new approaches to tackling the most urgent issues of our time. Through conversations with public servants, policymakers, and changemakers around the world, we shine a light on how governments can reimagine their role in a rapidly changing world.
Learn more about this emerging vision for better government at https://centreforpublicimpact.org/
Adrian Brown is the Executive Director at the Centre for Public Impact.
Adrian has over 20 years' experience working on government performance and transformation in the UK and internationally. He has held a range of positions in the UK government, including stints at the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit, the Strategy Unit and as a policy adviser in the Prime Minister's Office.