As Mongabay continues to expand its impact across the globe, few leaders embody the spirit of its mission more fully than Maria Isabel Torres, the Program Director of Mongabay Latam. Based in Lima, Peru, Torres has spent the past nine years not only overseeing the daily operations of Mongabay’s Latin American bureau but shaping its very identity. Under her leadership, Mongabay Latam has grown into a regional powerhouse for environmental journalism, recognized for its investigative rigor, its collaborative ethos, and its unflinching commitment to spotlighting some of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges. This interview with Torres is part of Conversations with Mongabay Leaders, a series that dives into the experiences and insights of individuals driving change within our organization. Torres’s story is one of vision, resilience, and an unwavering dedication to journalism as a force for accountability and empowerment. Maras Salt Flats, Cusco, Peru, 2024. Photo: Alexa Velez. Torres didn’t set out to become an environmental journalist—her early career was rooted in political journalism during one of Peru’s most tumultuous eras. Inspired by investigative reporting that exposed corruption and abuses under the Fujimori regime, she developed a deep respect for journalism’s potential to serve the public good. A detour through the NGO sector and a stint at Peru’s Ministry of Environment opened her eyes to the complex intersections of environmental and political issues, ultimately laying the foundation for her return to journalism with a new focus: the environment. When the opportunity arose to lead Mongabay’s Latin America initiative, Torres…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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