Science and ancestral knowledge in the conservation of biodiversity

Latin American colleagues!

We’re issuing a new call for proposals for Historias Sin Fronteras — this time for cross-border projects on the intersection of science and ancestral knowledge in the conservation of biodiversity.

Biodiversity conservation faces challenges that demand complementary perspectives and solutions. In this context, dialogue between science and traditional knowledge becomes crucial. While scientific research provides systematic methods, data, and analysis, the knowledge of Indigenous and local communities—built upon generations of observation and direct interaction with ecosystems—offers an understanding of species behavior, natural cycles, and sustainable management practices.

Integrating both approaches allows for more effective, culturally relevant, and socially legitimate conservation strategies, recognizing Indigenous peoples as key actors in biodiversity protection and expanding the range of solutions to address species loss and ecosystem degradation.

We invite our colleagues in Latin America to form cross-border teams of up to four journalists to present their proposals for a project on the challenges and possible solutions for the conversation of biodiversity.

We’re looking for projects that reach across international borders, so we encourage you to think outside the box and send us your ideas for a powerfully told, data-driven regionwide story.

Be sure that you have at least two journalists and no more than four journalists on your team and that your team members are from different countries in Latin America.

The winning team will receive a grant of US $3,000 to cover reporting expenses related to the project.  InquireFirst will cover the cost of editing the project, infographics, photography, translation to English and Portuguese, and developing a microsite to showcase your work.

As part of our support for Historias Sin Fronteras projects, we work with media organizations throughout the Western Hemisphere to ensure the widest possible publication of your project. To date, our multimedia projects have been published by 57 media organizations stretching from Canada to Argentina.

At Historias Sin Fronteras, we’re celebrating our seventh anniversary of working with journalists in Latin America to produce high-impact, carefully reported projects on science, health, climate and the environment. Since we launched Historias Sin Fronteras in 2019, we have awarded grants to 46 journalists who have written and published 15 projects.

Historias Sin Fronteras co-founder Iván Carrillo and I congratulate the teams of journalists whose outstanding work with Historias Sin Fronteras has been recognized by international awards. 

In 2024, a team of four journalists from Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia and Panama won two international awards – one from Covering Climate Now and the other from the Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) – for their impressive multimedia project on the impact of climate change on traditional foods.

Join us and let’s work on this exciting Historias Sin Fronteras project!

The deadline is February 20, 2026.

Your proposal should reflect in sufficient detail the outline and angle of your project. A completed questionnaire is required. The questionnaire can be found below this text.

The project will be edited by Iván Carrillo, an experienced science journalist and editor based in Spain. There will be a calendar for editing, as well as a non-negotiable deadline. The winning team agrees to comply with the editing and publication schedule for the project. As many corrections and modifications will be made as necessary during the editing process.

The project will be submitted to the editor in Spanish and our experienced team will translate the project to English and Portuguese.

 Eligibility:

The call for entries is open to any journalist who works for or frequently collaborates with a newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online media organization in Latin America. Journalists working at media organizations and freelance journalists are eligible to apply. Those who work in public relations positions or who are institutional spokespersons are not eligible to apply.

To ensure credibility and fairness, an international panel of judges will select the winning team. The decision of the judges will be final.

Credit:

The winning team agrees to credit InquireFirst in all publications and communications where the project is mentioned.

Distribution:

The cross-border projects will be published by media organizations in Latin America and the United States. Iván Carrillo and Project Coordinator Lynne Walker will work with a variety of media organizations to ensure that the projects have the widest possible distribution.

Applications must include the following:

• A completed questionnaire that describes the project. You can find a link to the questionnaire below this text.

• A budget that does not exceed US $3,000 and includes a basic breakdown of costs related to reporting on the project. The $3,000 budget may include compensation for journalists working on the project.

• A biography of each journalist on the team, with a maximum length of 300 words per biography.

Deadline: The deadline for proposals is February 20, 2026. The winning project will be announced in March.

Questions?

Email Lynne Walker