The Spirit of the Rainforest
Seminar followed by Q&A, drinks and book signing – all welcome – join in person or online
The Amazon Rainforest — vast, mysterious, and teeming with life — has long captured the imagination of explorers, scientists, and storytellers alike. Yet today, it stands at a crossroads, facing mounting threats from deforestation, climate change, and cultural erosion. In this talk, Andean-Amazonian scientist and author Rosa Vásquez Espinoza takes us on a deeply personal journey into the heart of the Amazon. Blending indigenous wisdom with cutting-edge science, she explores the rainforest not just as an ecosystem, but as a living, breathing entity — one that holds profound lessons for resilience, healing, and our connection to the natural world. Drawing from her book The Spirit of the Rainforest, Rosa shares intimate encounters with Amazonian communities, revealing how their ancestral knowledge offers a vital perspective in the face of environmental crises. She explores her own experiences navigating remote ecosystems, discovering biodiversity known to very few, and rekindling our innate sense of wonder and the spirit of exploration.
Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Peruvian chemical biologist with Andean-Amazonian indigenous roots, National Geographic Explorer, and UN Harmony with Nature Scientist. She is founder of Amazon Research Internacional, where she bridges ancestral knowledge and modern science to protect Amazonian biodiversity, with a focus on stingless bees, medicinal plants, and microbial life in extreme environments.
Date:
28 November 2025, 16:15
Venue:
Dyson Perrins Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QY
Venue Details:
Main lecture theatre (1st floor, lift available)
Speaker:
Rosa Vásquez Espinoza PhD (Amazon Research Internacional)
Organising department:
Environmental Change Institute
Organisers:
Carlyn Samuel (University of Oxford),
Jane Applegarth (University of Oxford, Oxford University Centre for the Environment)
Organiser contact email address:
biodiversity@ouce.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor Yadvinder Malhi (University of Oxford)
Part of:
Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery and the Biodiversity Network seminar series
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://bookwhen.com/oxfordbiodiversitynetwork
Cost:
Free
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Jane Applegarth
