Adjany Costa

Adjany Costa

Adjany da Silva Freitas Costa (born 1989) is an Angolan biologist and conservationist from Huambo who served as the Angolan Minister of Culture, Tourism and Environment from April to October 2020.

Quotes

• We must always be aware that any conservation space is a range of components: it’s not just about biodiversity, it’s not just about the local communities.
  • speaking during an interview

• It’s a very grey world where you have to focus on everything that has been accomplished in the field because that’s what brings you hope moving forward.
  • Her reply when she was asked if she enjoys working in Conservation

• What motivates me right now is the local communities that I work with. Looking at the small steps they have taken by themselves without a proper plan motivates me to help them further.
  • Her motivation

• Biology is not really a known career in Angola. The oil and gas industry accounts for over 90 percent of the country’s economy, so biology, conservation, and other nature-related careers are looked down upon. They see biologist as being like the characters in Zootopia — it’s not a real job. Most people would only consider it if they had no other options.
  • How a career such as a Biology is seen in Angola

• It’s very sensitive, but also very rewarding.
  • How it feels like working with local communities

• As one grows, obstacles along the career path will shatter the dreams you had, but help you to create a different dream. I call it ‘adult dreaming’.
  • Growth

• I think one of the main reasons that projects usually don’t include communities is that it’s a very long-term approach. First, you have to build trust, then you have to learn to speak their language and dialogue. You have to understand what they think, what they know, how they see the environment, and only then can you start proposing certain concepts that they can apply to their livelihoods. That is something that takes a lot of time, a lot of human effort, and a lot of patience.
  • Reasons local communities are not included in projects

• As conservationists we see degradation happening every day, so we are always in a hurry – we want things to happen right now.
  • conservationists' view of degradation

• The best part of my job is being able to include the environment in topics that most people think are completely unrelated.
  • Her reply when asked the best part of her job

• I wouldn’t tell you that X or Y awards were the best parts of my career; it’s actually the work that led me to those awards that are the best.

Her career highlight

• One thing that I can say I am actually proud of is overcoming all of the obstacles. So, it’s not the awards, it’s not the positions, it’s none of that, it’s the work that led to those accolades that I think are my biggest accomplishments.
  • How she sees her accomplishments

• My first piece of advice is to enhance your skills. By enhancing your skills, even the ones you don’t like, you will understand how to do your job better.
  • Her advice to someone in the conservation field

• Sometimes we have to take a step back. That doesn’t mean that you have to stop moving forward, it just means that it might not be at the pace that you want, and that is very normal.
  • Taking a step back

• Motivation helps, but if you are not disciplined, if you are not focused and have no goal, it is very difficult to keep going.
  • Talking about motivation and discipline

• In the current world we are very focused on having a voice, and having a voice is very important, but hearing the voices of others is even more important.
  • listening, as an important skill to have

• There are a lot of people who try to stop you for different reasons – because they don’t believe in you, or because you’re too young to be taken seriously, or because you’re a woman. It has happened to me several times, and I didn’t think it was possible until I entered this world.
  • Her explanation on how the only person that can stop one is oneself

• ....there is this conception about conservation that you have to focus on one thing and stay with that until you die. I think that is a misconception, especially if you want to push forward change and contribute to the improvement and application of policies, because if you only have field experience then you won’t be able to bring that into influencing policymakers.
  • Misconception about conservation

• One thing I tell myself is that, if you give up now you are not giving up because of others, you are giving up because of yourself. If you want to stop then that’s your choice, but bear in mind that it is never someone else’s fault, it’s never an obstacle, it’s never a situation, it’s you.
  • Her reply when asked if she had any final comment during an interview

• In the beginning, the hardest things about the expeditions would be superficial things: eating rice and beans twice a day for four months, the relative concept of cleanliness, the lack of affection and communication with the outside world, being the only girl (most times) amongst a bunch of guys.
  • Expeditions

• ... Nowadays I have not only learned to overcome these hardships, but to learn from them. Now I understand they stand for the work we’re doing toward a better future, something greater than ourselves.
  • What she has learnt in expeditions

• The best part is meeting people from all over who, like me, travel all over the world and never really feel like they belong somewhere.
  • Analysing the best part of expeditions

• There’s a lot of literature that suggests the need for protection of that area. It would be in the southernmost tip of the Angolan coast. And it’s an area that borders Libya which has a high migration route, so we think we have a lot of biodiversity near there. It is also thought to be the largest nursery ground for mackerel, which is important for fisheries in Angola and Libya. It’s adjacent to a protected area in Libya and two national parks, so it would create this whole square of conservation of land and ocean that are independent of each other but can still work together in regards to conservation.
  • Importance of establishing marine protected area in Angola

• If it’s to that point where you think you want to do it and it feels right but other people are telling you not to, just do it. No matter what obstacle you think might stop you, when you wake up in the morning just say “I’m doing it.”
  • Advice to someone who is trying to pursue a career in her field

• I come from a society where, if you ask a child what they want to be, they will only think of things associated with material goods. Jobs that will get them clothes or houses or cars. Because paths outside of that aren’t encouraged. Following their hearts isn’t encouraged. But when those people realize how much more there is out there to explore, they become the most passionate people about making a change.
  • Her overview of the kind of society she comes from

• I hear in the U.S. that women don’t have the same opportunities or the same paycheck as men. Where I’m from it’s worse because women have the same opportunities and paycheck, they’re just led to believe that their opportunities are limited. Helping them understand that they can do whatever they want, that there’s nothing wrong if they want to be a housewife. But there’s also nothing wrong if they want to push the boundaries and do something else.
  • Comparing opportunities in U.S. to Angola

• Drylands are extremely important not just for the survival of biodiversity but also for us, for our culture, for our survival and for the way we interact with nature itself.
  • extract from her speech at the Global Landscape Forum’s digital conference on restoring Africa’s dryland