Reynaldo A. Morales

Reynaldo A. Morales, PhD

International Negotiation Advisory; Indigenous Relations

Working in communities; observing at international negotiating tables.
Reynaldo takes part in United Nations negotiations on biodiversity and climate change as an invited observer, working with Indigenous Peoples’ technical groups under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. He has taken part in Indigenous Peoples’ technical advisory groups on the Cali Fund for Biodiversity and in discussions on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
e has conducted field and policy research in Latin America, Asia, Africa and North America, working with Indigenous leaders, communities, researchers and international organizations.
Reynaldo

International Processes

UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Paris Agreement Article 6

Indigenous Peoples & Local Communities

Field Research

Peru · Colombia · Mexico · India · Nepal · Cameroon · Mozambique · Egypt · United States

Academic Foundation

Ph.D. in Environmental Studies and Education (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
M.Sc. in Education (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
B.A. in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Faculty, University of Wisconsin-Madison: Indigenous education, climate change and sustainability, and Indigenous issues in the media.

—- FROM GLOBAL POLICY TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES —-

CALI FUND FOR BIODIVERSITY

Took part in Indigenous Peoples’ technical advisory work on Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources, which fed into the negotiations that led to the Cali Fund for Biodiversity.

PARIS AGREEMENT

Member of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change. Takes part in Indigenous Peoples’ discussions on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which governs international cooperation on climate action, including carbon markets.

PERUVIAN AMAZON

Field research and documentary work with Indigenous Peoples in the Peruvian Amazon on territorial rights, environmental governance and conservation, including land conflicts and the restitution of Indigenous territorial rights.

INDIA

Worked with Adivasi communities in southern India on biodiversity, traditional seed systems and genetic resource governance. Helped develop community-based protocols, in work connected to the Wayanad Declaration protecting genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.

U.S. TRIBAL NATIONS

More than a decade of work across more than 36 U.S. Tribal Nations, collaborating with Tribal authorities, educators and community members on environmental initiatives, food sovereignty, educational self-determination, and community capacity building.

COLOMBIA

Conducted field research with Nasa and Misak Peoples in Colombia, working with Indigenous leaders, governors and traditional authorities on territorial governance, land conflict and agroecology, including visits to contested land.

— SELECTED PUBLICATIONS AND DOCUMENTARIES —

Reynaldo has published on how land and resource use, territorial rights, and international policy are understood and experienced within Indigenous communities. Selected work includes:
FREE, PRIOR & INFORMED CONSENT
The Braiding of the Rights to Self-Determination and the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent Mechanisms across UNDRIP, SDGs and CBD Policy Platforms
Formal Submission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights · 2018
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS MEET INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY CONTEXTS
Maya Peoples’ Territorial Governance and Vulnerability in Climate Change Policy and Action
Co-authored with Diana K. Elhard · Cultural Survival · 2023

State-controlled Conservation and USAID Aid Green Grabbing against Indigenous Peoples in Peruvian Amazon
Co-authored with Abou Farman · Op-ed · Cultural Survival · 2023
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES ON LAND & TERRITORIAL RIGHTS
Indigeneity and Territoriality in Peru: The Politics of Recognition and Citizenship
Cultural Survival · 2024

Shipibo-Konibo Indigenous Amazonian Communities Occupy a Peruvian Regional Conservation Area Office Demanding the Restitution of their Territorial Rights
Indigenous Voice · 2022

The Fly Back: Restoring Territorial Rights in the Ucayali Basin

Documentary · Peruvian Amazon
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE & FARMERS’ RIGHTS
Traditional Knowledge, Farmers’ Rights, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities: Implementing the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
Co-authored with Charles Lawson and Temitope Adebola · 2025

Transnational Interactions and Integrations of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Western Science: A Cross-Case Synthesis of Informed and Consented Educational and Policy Interventions on Biodiversity Conservation and Genetic Resource Management
PhD dissertation · University of Wisconsin–Madison · 2020
INDIGENOUS WAYS OF LIFE & LAND USE

Mbororo Peoples’ Journey for Survival: Transhumance and Territoriality in Central Africa

Multimedia article with the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs · 2023

The POSOH Project: Collaboratively Supporting a Community-Driven Perspective on Sustainability and Commitment to the Menominee Forest’s Stewardship

Tribal College and University Research Journal · 2018

Seed Satyagraha: The Adivasi Legacy

Documentary · India · 2026