An alternative environmental career in Brazil: Esther Neuhaus, a studied Geographer, is a highly qualified expert on environmental and social questions in Brazil. She manages the controlling body of more than 500 Brazilian NGOs, non-governmental organizations monitoring environment, society and development.


Dealing with communal tourism, observing the deforestation of mangrove forests, she also visits the Mapuche women Moira, in Patagonia, Argentina to advocate capacity building.

South America is on the move. A lot of indigenous politicians and local nongovernmental Organisations work on the same mission: getting back ancient lands not only for survival as a people but also to save the environment.

She is specialised in communal tourism and has established a worldwide network. Environment and tourism cannot be separated from each other. It is important that local, indigenous communities gain control over this specific development as much as others. As selfsupporting farmers, fishermen and hunters, they are dependent on a healthy environment. Local tourism brings additional income. The responsibility and organization strengthens their social skills, and guarantees an intact environment.

In this context Esther is also involved in observing the deforestation of the mangrove forests. Because organization and funding of a tourism - workshop for indigenous Mapuche people in Argentina did not progress correctly, Esther Neuhaus visited the Mapuche women Moira, to advocate capacity building and look into the problem personally.

The Mapuche Moira Milan lives in Patagonia, Argentina. Among the Mapuche villages facing land problems, Moira has built an organization to fight for the return of their ancestral lands. She is also trying to establish community-based tourism to improve their income.

Mapuches live off small-scale agriculture. In midsummer they offer a campsite to tourists, act as mountain guides and hope for proper training. They dream of carefully developed community-based tourism in order to gain supplementary income. At the same time they could secure their proximity to nature, their spirituality, symbolism and traditions.

ECOLOGY & JUSTICE: 5 x 29' reportages about indigenous people and the environment in developing countries, stories from the Amazonian Forest, from Brazil, the Andes, Equador, India and New Zealand. We meet local politicians and NGOs fighting for ancient lands as much as for a sustainable future, and scientists who show innovations that can save lives. A new world, the old world: it’s one world after all.