Romi Castagnino is a Peruvian conservation biologist and environmental video journalist, currently working for Mongabay. Dedicated to telling stories of the Amazon Rainforest, she is the host of two digital series, Chasing Deforestation and Candid Animal Cam. We caught up with Romi and she shared more about the importance of starting dream projects, how camera trapping inspired her work in media, and provided valuable advice for aspiring creatives.
WMJ: When did you know you wanted to become a conservation biologist and science communicator, speaking on behalf of nature and wildlife?
Romi: I grew up in Lima, Peru, and as is the case in most big cities, I was somewhat shielded from nature. It was through family trips and nature documentaries that I grew to love everything to do with the natural world. I was obsessed with animals and happiest when outside in nature.
When I was nine, my sister had the brilliant idea of creating an environmental club called ‘Save The Planet.’ It was the perfect way to get together with friends and have fun while helping the environment. We did beach and park cleanups, and even performed a dance show to raise money for a local NGO. My sister ignited in me a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship that has guided my life ever since.
I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with animals, but it wasn’t until university that I began pursuing my passion for visual storytelling. I’d use field trips as an opportunity to practice taking photos to document my work. Filmmaking followed organically, as a natural progression while studying in Australia for my Masters in Conservation Biology. I fell in love with the creative process of telling stories, so I decided not to pursue a Ph.D. and instead focus on science communication (not that you can’t do both, but for me, it was the right path). Now I balance my work between environmental video journalism and freelance/passion projects.
“My sister ignited in me a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship that’s guided my life ever since my childhood.”
Romi Castagnino
Conservation Biologist + Environmental Video Journalist
Mongabay
WMJ: How has your background as a scientist shaped you? Were there any opportunities to use media in your research career that fueled your desire to create/share content with others?
Romi: A major insight from my time in academia is that researchers are driven by endless curiosity. It’s a powerful motivator that has fueled my work. Academia has also given me an invaluable network of brilliant friends I can reach out to if I need an extra pair of eyes on a script, or if I have a question about a particular research field in which I’m not an expert in.
While getting my bachelor’s degree, I had the opportunity to experiment with camera traps to study ocelots. I got hooked with the process – from hiking to setting them up in trees, to retrieving them and gathering my colleagues around a laptop to watch the footage. You never know what species or cool interactions you might see!
I continued using camera traps during my master’s degree, where I studied eleven carnivorous mammals in the cloud forests of Peru. Besides the footage I got from the camera traps, I also had a local artist illustrate the animals and I used this art to make my reports/presentations more engaging. Using multimedia resources definitely elevates scientific studies!
WMJ: Tell us a little about what your work looks like on a daily basis. What helps keep you energized and excited about projects?
Romi: Since 2016, I’ve worked at Mongabay, a non-profit conservation and environmental science news platform. I started working there as a translator and then moved on to writing wildlife-related stories. I’m now 100% involved in video production, so I juggle my time between producing, script-writing, creating storyboards, filming, and hosting series. My favorite part of my job is storyboarding and shooting. And in my free time I work on passion projects.
Nothing energizes me more than traveling to remote places to film wildlife and people. My adventures motivate me to continue reporting on important causes. What’s great about this flow is that I get to hit pause on certain projects for a while, focus on other things, and then come back with more inspiration. Over the years, I’ve found this to be essential for my creative productivity.
WMJ: You’re the host of two Mongabay digital series, Candid Animal Cam and Chasing Deforestation. Tell us more about these projects.
Romi: Hosting these series for Mongabay has been a great privilege. Chasing Deforestation is an ongoing investigative digital series that explores the world’s most threatened forests with the help of satellite data and reporters on the ground. Our primary partner is the open-source web application Global Forest Watch, which monitors forests in near real-time and alerts us about unusual spikes in forest clearing.
I produce and host the series in partnership with journalists who go into the field to investigate and reveal what’s really going on. We aim to give local and indigenous populations a platform to tell their side of the story, while gaining the attention of authorities and policy-makers with hope of stopping illegal deforestation in their territories.
Changing gears, Candid Animal Cam is a video series that started during the pandemic with the goal of bringing nature into people’s homes. Each episode focuses on one species, and we pair camera trap footage with interesting and fun facts. The series has had great success in classroom settings engaging students in wildlife ecology and biology. I try to transmit my passion for wildlife and hopefully get the audience excited to learn more about them.
WMJ: You’ve devoted yourself to telling stories of the Amazon Rainforest. In your opinion, what can people actually do to help with issues in this (often) faraway, but globally important region?
Romi: My love for the Amazon Rainforest started early when I visited Tambopata National Reserve in southeastern Peru as part of my biology class in high school. I vividly remember the sounds, colors, and amazement I felt being surrounded by that kind of life. It was the best week of my high school experience. During university, I got to learn about the different indigenous populations who live in the rainforest, and I was fascinated! Thanks to volunteer experiences and my work with Mongabay, I’ve been able to learn from them further.
The first thing you can do is talk about it! As simple as that. You’d be surprised how many people don’t know much about the rainforest. Sharing your enthusiasm about it will hopefully invite people to consume more information and documentaries about these beautiful places. That being said, if you watch a documentary that left an impact on you, check online to see if they have an impact campaign going on. Often there are resources on how to best help specific causes or conservation projects.
WMJ: What excites you about the future of the science communication and wildlife filmmaking industry?
Romi: With the onset of the pandemic, production companies started hiring local filmmakers to work on their films. Allowing new talent to flex their muscles and learn in a professional environment is key to having a fair and diverse industry. I hope that continues beyond the pandemic.
With that said, I’m seeing the community grow and grow! I’m also seeing more women directors and filmmakers which is fantastic. The level of support you see in this community is really inspiring!
Behind-the-scenes: Romi interviewing scientist Dr. Micha Jackson for the series “Behind The Science” at The University of Queensland (left), taking photographs (top right), and rappelling in the Amazon Rainforest (bottom right).
WMJ: What skills do you suggest up-and-coming creatives acquire as soon as possible?
Romi: So many things come to mind!
- First, if you are writing about local stories, especially ones set in remote locations, make them “global” to help people relate to them. Find common threads that cross borders and use them to connect with your audience.
- Practice your interview skills. Seek people who have different perspectives and can bring more complexity to your story. Also don’t forget to give them breathing space in between questions – often the most important bits come from what’s not said in words but in their body language. Incorporating those moments gives your interview more depth and emotion.
- Scriptwriting is another muscle you can flex. People have shorter and shorter attention spans, and we now need to grab the audience’s attention in the first 10 seconds. It’s sometimes tricky to do and something I’m still working on!
- Always keep learning! If you can attend a copy-editing workshop, do it. At Mongabay, I’ve learned a lot from our brilliant copy editors. You’ll learn simple things to keep in mind when writing stories that will convey your message more clearly and engagingly.
- Last but not least, celebrate the smallest victories! I know that when you are starting out, it’s common to think your work isn’t good enough. It’s totally okay to feel that way; it’s a process. But you should still share it with your friends, family and network and feel proud of it!
WMJ: Any final words of wisdom for the WMJ community?
Romi: Start on your passion project NOW! Start small, brainstorm, look for advice, and contact people on social media who have done similar things. Learn from them. You can do it!
🐾 📸 Follow Romi’s journey at @romicastagnino.wild or at her website romicastagnino.com.
🎥⛰️ View her latest project on mining in Cerro de Pasco, Peru – here!
