Articles by Roxanne Hoorn

Roxanne Hoorn is a graduate student in the Science Communication Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She covers the environment, conservation and Indigenous peoples.

Leader Vanda Ortega, of the indigenous Witoto people

Indigenous land rights key to curbing deforestation and restoring lands: Study

by Roxanne Hoorn 1 June 2023

Indigenous territories with secure land rights not only reduce deforestation inside their lands in the Brazilian Amazon, but also lead to higher secondary forest growth on previously deforested areas, says…

Kauai, Hawaii, USA. Image by Karsten Winegeart via Unsplash.

Hawaiian communities restore Indigenous conservation, from mountains to sea

by Roxanne Hoorn 2 May 2023

Across Hawai’i’s sprawling islands of towering tree ferns in the wet mountains to the night-blooming maiapilo flower on the coasts, down to the vibrant lionfish in the seas, an Indigenous…

Evergreen huckleberry, a traditional and ceremonial food for the Karuk Tribe. Image courtesy of Rosewoman on Flickr

Indigenous knowledge guides the conservation of culturally important plants

by Roxanne Hoorn 5 December 2022

Since time immemorial, the Karuk tribe of northern California have managed their ancestral lands, over 400,000 hectares of open oak woodlands, meadows, and forested mountains along the middle section of…