Career Conversations: Tanya Rubí Villalba Chumo’s Lessons from the Amazon

This interview has been translated from Spanish. You can also find a version of this on our NatCap Substack.

As a young woman working on Amazonian conservation in Ecuador, you might expect Tanya Rubí Villalba Chumo’s days to be largely out in nature. In reality, Chumo’s days are spent mostly in conversation: with Indigenous peoples, park staff, loggers, miners, and locals. More recently, some of these conversations have been with the Natural Capital Alliance (NatCap), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) – who are part of a team working to assess and enhance the natural capital of Yasuní National Park, where Chumo serves as administrator. The lessons Chumo has learned are as diverse as the park: from how young people can become strategic allies in conservation efforts, to how delicately natural capital approaches must be handled. Ultimately, Chumo’s interest in coalition-building and natural capital is rooted in a deeply-held love for the natural world. 

What is your two-minute version of “tell me a little about yourself”? 

From early on, I’ve had the opportunity to work at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, particularly in the context of Yasuní National Park—an experience that has profoundly shaped my professional and personal life. I currently serve as the Administrator of Yasuní National Park, a role that has allowed me to strengthen my leadership skills, fieldwork capabilities, and coordination with communities and institutions.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and completed my studies while gaining professional experience in the workplace. Today, I can proudly say that I have been shaped by my academic training, direct working experience, and a commitment to conservation and public service.

What is your day-to-day life like as the current manager of Yasuní National Park?

My day-to-day work is a real challenge. Unlike other protected areas, Yasuní has unique complexity, as Indigenous peoples inhabit a large part of its territory, so this is an enormous social, cultural, and environmental responsibility.

Working in this territory also means looking beyond the cities to recognize the different lives and realities beyond the paved streets. Often, the decisions and actions we take as city-dwelling citizens directly affect the most remote and vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

My daily work is marked by constant attention and commitment because, despite all efforts to conserve an area with extraordinary biodiversity, staff is limited, and the pressures on the territory are very strong. While we handle administrative and institutional management processes, multiple issues arise simultaneously: territorial conflicts, alerts about illegal logging, unauthorized settlements, illegal mining, and other threats that endanger both nature and the communities living in the area.

However, despite the difficulties, this work has also taught me that conservation cannot be achieved by individuals acting alone. Collaborative, coordinated, and team-based efforts are essential to addressing the challenges facing the region, recognizing the importance of defending and protecting one of the world’s most biodiverse and culturally valuable places—not only for its natural wealth, but also for the communities and Indigenous peoples that are part of it.

Tell me about Yasuní National Park. What grows there and what do you like most about it?

It’s a complex question because everything about it makes it unique, but there’s something about its scenic beauty that I love: when you enter the forests, they still feel alive and authentic. 

Every day in Yasuní can surprise us with different sounds, colors, and forms of life. It’s not just a forest; it’s a place where nature, rivers, Indigenous cultures, and biodiversity coexist in unique ways.

I think what I like most about Yasuní is precisely that: its ability to remind us that there are still places where life retains its most natural essence and where we can still learn to live in harmony with nature.

What inspired you to get involved in the economic valuation of natural capital? What is your perspective on natural capital accounting and related approaches as tools for ecological conservation, Indigenous sovereignty, or biodiversity preservation? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

In the seven years I’ve been working in the protected area, these topics had never been discussed in depth. When the first proposal for the economic valuation of natural capital emerged, I didn’t fully grasp the potential of this study. However, it piqued my interest and helped me understand that nature is often given attention only when its tangible value to society is demonstrated.

Working in a territory as biodiverse as Yasuní, one comes to understand that forests are not merely beautiful landscapes; they sustain water sources, regulate the climate, store carbon, preserve living cultures, and provide livelihoods for many people. 

However, I believe these approaches must be handled with great care. Nature cannot be reduced solely to numbers or monetary values. There are cultural, spiritual, and territorial dimensions—especially for Indigenous peoples—that cannot be measured in economic terms. In areas like Yasuní, biodiversity and ancestral knowledge have a value that goes far beyond the market.

Among the advantages, I believe economic valuation can strengthen conservation policies and highlight the true cost of ecosystem destruction. However, there are also risks, such as nature being viewed solely as an economic resource or these approaches ultimately obscuring the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. 

Tell me how you interact with NatCap and the GEF/IDB pilot project team, and if this has influenced your work. 

I have had the opportunity to meet a highly professional, committed team with a clear vision of the importance of integrating conservation, sustainable development, and the valuation of natural capital. Through this process, we have been able to exchange knowledge and experiences and also establish important contacts that allow us to coordinate joint actions. We hope this will be the beginning of something much larger: an opportunity to promote joint initiatives for the benefit of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, fostering coordination among various stakeholders, communities, institutions, and organizations that share a commitment to protecting this invaluable territory.

This collaboration has had a significant impact on my work and professional growth, broadening my perspective on conservation and deepening my understanding of the importance of integrating technical, social, and economic approaches into environmental management.

I believe this experience provided me with new tools and a more comprehensive perspective for my work within the Yasuní Protected Area and Biosphere Reserve.

How does collaborating with Indigenous and local stakeholders influence your work? 

Collaborating with Indigenous and local stakeholders influences my work because it has helped me understand that conservation cannot be approached solely from a technical perspective but must also be grounded in respect for the culture, rights, and sovereignty of the peoples with a historical connection to the land.

Furthermore, I believe that information related to the economic valuation of natural capital must be handled with great responsibility and sensitivity when shared with Indigenous groups and local communities. These issues can generate social tensions or conflicts if not explained properly, especially where many communities continue to face poverty and unmet basic needs.

I believe these processes must be accompanied by dialogue, transparency, and genuine community participation, ensuring that the benefits of conservation are also reflected in better opportunities for the populations that have historically cared for and lived alongside these territories.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned about collaboration?

I have always said that the Amazon is not just an oil-producing region, but a territory of immense natural, cultural, and environmental value. The natural capital it possesses generates benefits not only for Ecuador but also globally, especially in a context marked by climate change.

This experience has allowed me to understand that although, as a territory, we may seem small in the face of major global challenges, we are an important piece of that global puzzle. Every conservation action contributes significantly to protecting biodiversity and the planet. 

What advice would you give to young people who want to inspire others to care about the Earth’s wild places?

When opportunities and spaces for participation are created, young people can demonstrate their enormous potential to drive real change.

In my case, as initiatives within the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve gained momentum, I had the opportunity to help establish the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve Youth Network. It has been very interesting to see how young people can become strategic allies in sparking interest, raising awareness, and serving as advocates for conservation efforts—not only within the protected area but also within the Biosphere Reserve as a space for participation and collaboration.

My advice to you is to keep believing in those ideas that sometimes seem impossible or “crazy,” because there will always be someone who believes in good initiatives. Conservation also needs creativity, passion, and new voices that inspire others to value and protect the Earth’s wild places.

A final report and case study from this Ecuador project will be published soon. Learn more on the project page: bit.ly/3PsEcuador.