On the eve of the 2026 presidential elections, Yupanqui and Carrasco highlighted a shared concern: the political debate continues to ignore the origin of the country's wealth and the consequences of extractivism. “There are very uncertain times ahead and no one is getting over the fence. We have seen politicians from all spectrums and many of them are linked to extractivism”.”, warned Yupanqui. For both, it is impossible to project Peru's future without understanding which territories sustain its economy and which are at risk if they are not protected.
They explained that this disconnection between economy and territory is evidence of why thousands of public and private decisions are made without considering the country's environmental base. Hence their advocacy for clear and accessible communication: “We want the information to be rigorous and simple, to be understood by my mother, my grandmother and also by those who believe that gold is the best without knowing how to obtain it”.”.
In this episode of Natural Capital, we delve into the urgency of telling stories that mobilize decisions and strengthen citizen participation in the face of Peru's environmental challenges.
One of the most emblematic cases they presented was the work carried out in an Amazonian community impacted by drug trafficking. After recording testimonies and launching a digital campaign, the official process of territorial demarcation began. The example demonstrates how a well-constructed story can accelerate decisions that had been pending for years.
Sapiens has also identified communication gaps that affect citizen participation. In the south, for example, radio and Facebook are still the most used media, while Twitter (now X) is almost non-existent. For this reason, they are betting on content in native languages and on revitalizing community spaces: if a radio call fills an assembly, they say, that response is also a valid metric.
Both advocate communication that involves research, territorial listening and narratives that can move people's wills. “Today there are territories, decisions and struggles that need to be told so that the country can make better decisions.”, says Yupanqui.
Carrasco complements this view from the perspective of finance: “Finance is communication, because it can convey stories that give us a perspective on the magnitude of environmental problems”. Mobilizing cooperation, investment or environmental funds requires making visible the communities that today face illegal mining, logging, drug trafficking and other pressures that do not usually appear on the public agenda.
This episode is part of Natural Capital, Profonanpe's podcast that brings together diverse voices to understand how communication can drive conservation, social cohesion and more informed decisions across the country. The episode is available here.
