'There is Nothing More Queer than Nature' - Brigitte Baptiste on Biodiversity, Sexuality, and Healthy Irony

Oct 25, 2024 | Brigitte Baptiste
Emily Hart: Reporting from Colombia
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With the COP16 biodiversity conference now in full flow in Cali, I wanted to share this brief interview with the inimitable Brigitte Baptiste: renowned biologist, Director of the Ean University, and former-Director of the Humboldt Institute.

When we spoke, I was dust-coated and sweltering in the hall of Yopal Airport - fresh off a reporting trip in Casanare and waiting for a flight. Brigitte, meanwhile, was immaculate: sat in her office in Bogotá, sporting a perfect white bob and a green floral dress, along with pink hoop earrings and long manicured nails in an identical colour - all absolutely on-brand for the woman who has become something of a rockstar on Colombia’s eco-scene.

We chatted about the inherent ‘queerness’ of nature and humanity’s place in it, along with optimism, climate change, and the importance of not being earnest… or not always, at least.