165. Conservation is a Human Right with Bray Beltrán

In episode 165 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we discuss conservation, how the movement needs to change, and how to reframe conservation as a human right. 

We cover the historical inequities in conservation, how social justice and environmental protection intersect, and what a rights-based approach to conservation could look like in practice. We’ll also discuss ways you can influence policymakers and advocate for a more inclusive conservation movement.

This conversation is packed with insights and actionable steps to help us reimagine conservation as a right for everyone, not just a privilege for a few. To help guide our conversation, I had the pleasure of chatting with Bray Beltran. 

Bray was born and raised in Colombia. He moved to the United States when he was 21 and has been living here for 24 years. Bray is a recent transplant to the mid-Atlantic, but he spent nine years living in the deep South and 13 years in the Intermountain West.

Bray earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the US academic system, studying ecology, climate change, and conservation. After school, Bray started his career in conservation and worked on private land protection in the Northern Rockies for 10 years. During this time, Bray started to understand conservation not only within the historical context of American culture but also within the cultural context of 15,000+ years of Indigenous tenure and 500 years of Afro-descendant history in the Americas. Since then, Bray has strived to practice conservation considering the full historical and cultural context of the Americas to make sure our conservation actions and outcomes benefit the whole of society and include the perspectives, histories, and knowledge of historically marginalized communities.

Bray is a father, a husband, an only child to his mother, a brother, a cousin, and an uncle to his very large family. He can often be found tending to his garden or enjoying his surroundings near and far.

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