Storyteller grounded in data and context
I use writing and visual media to tell stories at the intersection of data analysis and political ecology. My work helps mission-driven organizations make informed decisions and anchor projects in context, evidence, and community experience. By grounding stories in data, I craft narratives that are strategic, meaningful, and responsibly framed.
Read more about me here
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![Geospatital map layers of Borneo, Indonesia, for video map project by Malcolm Wyer titled Metabolic Borneo (2025).]()
Extraction Economies in Borneo
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Livestock Expansion in the Paraguayan Chaco
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![Two children walking on a dirt path in a rural village with thatched roof houses in the background.]()
Solar Powered Water Pump System
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![Interactive video map by Malcolm Wyer titled "Housatonic River Stewards." Filmed in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.]()
River Stewards Video Map
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![Animated gif showing the increase in cattle pasture and rangeland in Costa Rica between 1930-2019.]()
Impact of Cattle Grazing in Costa Rica
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![Aerial view of a green landscape with trees, grass, and a small building, overlaid with white boundary lines.]()
Tropical Farm & Garden
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![Molecular structure with blue and gray bonds inside a transparent, orange and peach geometrical shape with black outlines.]()
Sustainable River Restoration
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Justice40 Dataset
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![Green leafy vegetables growing in rows in a farm field with dark soil and a cloudy sky]()
POV Videography
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![This project synthesizes eight complementary crisis strategies into a practical, evidence-informed framework that helps organizations and communities stabilize immediate risks, support vulnerable stakeholders, and build long-term resilience.]()
Dear Environmental Justice Program Managers
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![A 3D topographic map of a hilly area with contour lines, trees, and a trail or path. Above the map, there is a multicolored line graph with six different lines, each marked with numbered labels from 1 to 6.]()
Subak Cultural Landscape
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![Illustration of various environmental and ecological icons, including a tree, river, factory, solar panel, water drop, and animals, symbolizing nature and sustainability.]()
Berkshire County as Social-Ecological System
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![Group of diverse people inside a wooden structure, some sitting and some standing, with one person holding a large weapon. The background shows greenery outside, and the image is overlaid with colorful text.]()
Pitfalls of International Development
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![Map showing three landfill locations in the United States: Nueces County, Texas; Niagara County, New York; and Berkshire County, Massachusetts, with their respective sizes.]()
Community Ownership of PCB Waste
Author of research proposals and analytical reports
I write reports that draw on both qualitative and quantitative data and are informed by social-ecological systems thinking. My work translates complex evidence into clear, persuasive narratives that support strategic planning, communications campaigns, funding decisions, and equitable policy outcomes. Across climate resilience, international development, and nonprofit contexts, I focus on clarity, rigor, and real-world applicability.
Review my research reports here
Approaching Deforestation Economies in Paraguay, Bound to the Profit Motive
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APPROACHING DEFORESTATION ECONOMIES IN PARAGUAY
Research Methods for Mapping Forest-to-Export Supply Chains
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![An aerial view of a landscape with mountains, forests, and patchwork fields in shades of green, yellow, and brown.]()
BOUND TO THE PROFIT MOTIVE:
The Globalization and Commodification of Costa Rica’s Payment for Environmental Services (PES) Programs
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![Book cover titled 'The Collaborative Nonprofit: Polycentric Governance & Cross-Sector Coproductions' by Malcolm Wyer, featuring a network diagram with interconnected nodes and lines on a light background.]()
THE COLLABORATIVE NONPROFIT:
Transformative Governance and Co-production Management
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![Map of Indonesia with text overlay highlighting NGADA WATER ASSOCIATION and a solar-powered water pump system in Kampung Watu, Magilewa & Jere, Flores, Indonesia.]()
NGADA WATER ASSOCIATION with GLOBAL WATER 501(c)3
Solar-Powered Water Pump System Kampung Watu, Maghilewa, & Jere, Flores, NTT, Indonesia
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![A black-and-white mural depicting themes of social injustice, environmental destruction, and political protest. It features figures with expressive faces, a person with a megaphone, industrial factories emitting smoke, an eye in the sky, scales of justice, and damaged buildings, illustrating chaos and societal issues.]()
THE THRIVING COMMUNITIES GRANTMAKING PROGRAM (TCGP) LAID TO REST
Lessons from a Short-Lived Experiment in Environmental Justice Governance
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![X-ray image of a rabbit with highlighted seeds coated with neonicotinoid insecticides in its stomach. Overlayed text discusses bird toxicity from ingesting these seeds, mentioning neurotoxicity, altered metabolism, endocrine disruption, and immunotoxicology.]()
TARGETING NEONICOTINOID-COATED SEEDS FOR BIRD CONSERVATION
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![Diagram showing Bali's landscape features: mountains at the top, plains in the middle, and the sea at the bottom, with labels in Balinese and English.]()
THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF BALI PROVINCE:
UNESCO and Strategies of Resilience
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![A poster about community-supported contamination remediation on the Housatonic River. It features a panoramic landscape at the top, a map of the Housatonic River in a blue shaded area on the left, three black-and-white portrait photographs of individuals in the middle, and text that reads 'Reconfiguring the Framework for PCB Remediation on the Housatonic River' at the bottom.]()
COMMUNITY SUPPORTED CONTAMINATION
Reconfiguring the Framework for PCB Remediation on the Housatonic River
Mapmaker with a focus on scale
Biological and cultural actors perform very differently across community, regional, and territorial scales. Through geospatial mapping, I strive to describe landscapes as layered networks of social, ecological, and economic relationships. I use maps as measured, investigative tools to make complex systems more visible—and more actionable.
Explore my mapping videos here
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![Map showing geographic and climate data of the Mid-Atlantic region including Baltimore, Washington D.C., Harrisburg, Wilmington, and Philadelphia with areas marked in various colors representing exposure levels, habitat loss, and toxic waste sites.]()
Mid-Atlantic Exposure & Habitat Loss
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Soil Map of Vermont Farm
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Energy Production in Miravalles Valley
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![A geospatial land use map of Rancho Garza, depicting Guanacaste and Alajuela Provinces of Costa Rica as well as Lake Nicargua.]()
Land Use in Northwestern Costa Rica.
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![Map of a Ngada Bajawa region of Flores, Indonesia, including, Aimere, Bajawa, Gunung Inerie, Watu, Maghilewa, Jere.]()
The Ngada People, Flores, Indonesia.
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![Four aerial images of a mountainous or hilly terrain with changing color schemes: gray, blue, black and green, showing variations in elevation, terrain features, and vegetation.]()
Timelapse of Mountaintop Removal Mining (MTR) in Beckley, WV
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Ecological Systems Map of Adirondack Brook
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![Topographical map of a region with elevation shading, water features, and various geological details, including lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges surrounding Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.]()
California's Central Coast
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![Map of northern Mesoamerica showing lights from urban areas and transportation networks, including Mexico City, Mérida, Cancún, Oaxaca, and Guatemala, with the Pacific Ocean and the Yucatán Peninsula.]()
Mesoamerica norte
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EPA Region 5 Environmental Burdens
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![Animated GIF geospatial map examining primary versus secondary forest near Rincon de la Vieja, Costa Rica]()
Primary vs. Secondary Forest in Costa Rica
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![Maps of Baltimore showing various urban disadvantages, including language isolation, wastewater issues, coastal flood risk, traffic, health burden, energy and health burdens, job training, unemployment, and overlapping disadvantages.]()
Justice40 in Baltimore
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FEMA Flood Zone in Great Barrington, MA
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![Map of the Ensenada region showing various research centers, wildlife areas, and geographic features in California and Mexico, with color-coded regions and labeled locations such as Audubon California Starr Ranch Sanctuary, Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Navopatia Field Station, and WILDCOAST/COSTALAVAGE.]()
Sonoran Joint Venture
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![Rising Pond Intervention proposal by Malcolm Wyer in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, showing PCB waste landscape and river bypass design.]()
Rising Pond PCB Cleanup
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![Map of Panama showing different regions marked with various colors such as white, orange, purple, and yellow, overlaid with black and white lines representing geographic or administrative boundaries.]()
Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs)
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![Map of Borneo showing flatlands and floodplains with various colored areas indicating floodplain regions.]()
Peatlands in Borneo
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![A colorful illustration of a green and yellow great green macaw with pink on its face, showing its wings spread wide. Next to it, a map of Central America highlights regions where the species is found, marked with red. Additional maps depict its habitat in tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests in green, four management zones in pink, yellow, blue, and orange based on conservation zones, respectively.]()
Great Green Macaw Management Zones
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![Map of Panama showing land regions in various colors, with Nicaragua to the northwest, Costa Rica to the west, and the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean surrounding the country.]()
Deciphering Forerst Data
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![An animated mapping GIF showing primary versus secondary forest cover in northwestern Costa Rica.]()
Primary vs. Secondary Forest in Guanacaste
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![Map of the United States showing three landfill sites in Massachusetts, New York, and Texas, with data on greenhouse gas emissions, vehicle equivalents, and waste disposal.]()
Measuring Emissions
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![A topographic map showing land use and protected areas, including the Housatonic Industrial Mill Complex, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, and areas designated as a reservation with various landmarks like Flag Rock, Squaw Peak, and Devil's. The map features hiking trails marked with red dashed lines, elevation contours, and color-coded regions such as a pink area for a general electric landfill and yellow regions for the reservation.]()
Connecting Conservation
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Parcel Analysis in Massachusetts
Consultant for organizational decision-making
I work with business and nonprofit leaders to improve organizational efficiency and strengthen decision-making. Rather than viewing governance as a choice between top-down command and bottom-up collaboration, I see it as a layered and hybrid process that balances vertical efficiency with horizontal inclusion. Combining assessment surveys, collaborative facilitation, and multimedia deliverables, I help organizations refine how decisions are made in practice — clarifying roles, improving information flow, and cultivating habits of alignment.
To schedule a consultation, contact me here
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![Policy and Learning Processes. It shows a grid with 'Spatial level' on the y-axis from local to national, and 'Phase' on the x-axis with three stages: strategic goal setting and policy formulation, developing operational goals and measures, and implementation and monitoring. The diagram includes white and black squares indicating action situations, with large squares indicating a set of action situations and links showing the flow between phases. Text explains the importance of vertical integration and multi-level processes in policy development.]()
Policy and Learning Processes
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![Participatory Design Model]()
Participatory Design Models
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![A text-based infographic explaining the concept of verticals in a studio organization, divided into three sections: Vertical by Function, Vertical by Sector, and Hybrid Vertical. Each section describes the purpose, typical verticals, possible roles, and benefits.]()
Increasing Efficiency with Verticals
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![Flowchart illustrating the Open Training Network. It includes components like open schools, businesses, and organizations with various programs such as superintendent forum, Baldwin White Hills School District, Bike PGH, homeless children's education fund, yoga training with organizations like Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust, open yogis visiting teacher program with different yoga groups, yoga teacher professional internship, and others. The chart also shows partnerships, sponsors, and funding sources.]()
Organizational Flowcharts
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![Organizational chart with concentric circles showing roles like intern, designer, senior & associate, director, principal, office manager, and external stakeholders like PR & Media, Communications, & Outreach, Personnel & Finance, Standards & Processes. Connected staff include Nick, Claire, Emily, and Dave, with various responsibilities and communication lines.]()
Shared Authorship/ Systems Models
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![A detailed organizational chart for the Environmental Justice Thriving Community Grantmaking Program, including connections to various acts, agencies, grant components, and technical assistance centers, with color-coded sections and partner details.]()
Understanding Accountability & Oversight
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![Diagram of a nested governing council within an adaptive co-management network related to sustainability, showing interactions among social pressures, ecological disturbances, health resources, financial grants, technical assistance, and sustainability institutes, with labels highlighting targeted responses and partnerships.]()
Adaptive Co-Management Networks
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![A pyramid illustrating nonprofit responsibilities, from bottom to top: mission to make a positive social impact, lawfulness to follow the law, accountability to be transparent and efficient, ethics to respect community norms, citizenship to advance the collective movement, and leadership to model innovative practices.]()
Pyramid of Nonprofit Responsibility
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![A collage of six photographs from a third tax meeting, showing diverse people in discussion and listening, with subtitles about leadership, payment, language, financial needs, and fairness for coastal residents.]()
Designing A Well-Aligned Pivot
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![World map showing countries with REDD+ projects in orange and REDD+ supporters in purple, highlighting efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.]()
Nested Co-Governance
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![Text-based infographic titled "VOICE OF WITNESS Ethical Storytelling Practices" outlining seven ethical storytelling principles. The principles include investing in relationships, prioritizing informed consent, honoring authenticity, using trauma-informed approaches, positioning narrators as experts, acknowledging biases, and ensuring accessibility. Each principle has a detailed explanation, with key points highlighted in red.]()
Ethical Storytelling
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![Flowchart diagram of community-supported contamination organization. It shows the hierarchy and working groups under various units like Program, Finance, Monitoring, and Legal at the community coalition, supported by consultants and supervisors.]()
Polycentric Working Groups
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![A map showing environmental and community projects in Berkshire, with photos and names of individuals involved, categorized into sections such as Green Technology, Dredging Infrastructure, Industrial Structures, Industrial Woodlands, River Ecology, Riverside Conservation, Commuter Railroad, and Toxic Landfill.]()
Stakeholder Analysis
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![Diagram of transformative governance with categories of participatory governance and adaptive governance, including components such as public participation, participatory design, equity, adaptive co-management, resilience theory, and environmental management, within social and ecological spheres.]()
Integrating Social and Ecological Governance Models
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![Handwritten mind map with various branches discussing issues related to data, technology, and standards, organized in different colors including blue, purple, pink, brown, green, and red.]()
Mind mapping
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![Flowchart showing the process of organizational change, including steps: insight, assumption, and pivot, with explanations for each step and supporting researcher and testing phases.]()
Testing Assumptions
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![A table summarizing five key conditions for effective collective impact, including shared agenda, shared measurement, mutually reinforcing activities, continuous communication, and backbone support, with descriptions for each.]()
Coordinating Collective Impact Networks
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![Diagram illustrating a proposed hierarchy and categories for branding strategy, with sections on landscape architecture, urban design, cultural and community engagement, ecological and climate resilience, master planning, and implementation. Central homepage with links to projects, studio, news, and contact, including subcategories for urban and streetscape, park and waterfront, garden and horticulture, campus and institution, master planning, about, services, leadership, team, and practice.]()
Website As Public-Facing Corpus
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![A detailed diagram showing the financing of Costa Rica's National REDD+ Strategy from 2007 to 2025. It includes entities like the United Nations, World Bank, Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, and Costa Rica's FONAFIFO, with amounts ranging from around $2 million to $50 million, and highlights the flow of funds from various sources including government, NGOs, and international organizations, with notes on different funding mechanisms and targets.]()
Financial Flow Diagram
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![Diagram showing three circles with partial red outlines, representing storyteller and listener roles, on a gray gradient background. The left and right circles have a red outline, indicating story collectors, while the middle circle has an incomplete red outline indicating a narrator. Text explains the roles in storytelling proximity.]()
Story Collection Management
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![Affinity mapping chart with user research themes organized into four columns: family vacation, snowbird, boondocker, and migrant worker. Each column contains color-coded sticky notes with related keywords and phrases such as travel preferences, activities, and living conditions.]()
Affinity Mapping
Advocate for sustainable agriculture
I believe that sustainable agriculture practices—like agroforestry, Integrated Pest Management (IPM,) silvopasture systems, farmer collectives, and soil health technologies—must be linked directly to smallholder profit, advanced by remaking value chains through government and private investment in sustainable production.
Review my project reports here
Illustrated Reforestation Compendium, Bound to the Profit Motive, About Rancho Garza
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Soil and Forest Analysis
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![Infographic titled 'NAMA Climate-Smart Livestock Practices' showing a layered farm landscape with trees, livestock, and various farm activities, along with text describing practices such as financial incentives, training, silvopastoral systems, and integrated tree species for sustainable livestock management.]()
Climate-Smart Livestock Production
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Multistrata Homegarden
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Wildlife Corridors
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Agroforestry: The Inga Tree Method
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![Diagram showing the installation of solar panels, water pumps, and water tanks in a village, with a line graph illustrating distance between the locations.]()
Solar-Powered Irrigation Pumps
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![A map of Borneo showing various types of palm oil industry sites, including Palm Oil Concessions, Industrial Palm Oil Plantations, Smallholder Palm Oil Farms, Crude Palm Oil (CPO) Mills, and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Mills, distinguis]()
Palm Oil Plantations in Borneo
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![Infographic titled 'The Cattle Grazing Carbon Cycle' showing how extensive, low-investment cattle grazing affects carbon emissions and sequestration. It includes illustrations of cattle internal digestion, soil and plant processes, and labels indicating methane emissions, carbon dioxide sequestration by plants, and the impact of grazing on soil porosity and biodiversity.]()
Limiting Extensive Agriculture
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![Aerial view of a green rural area with open grassy fields, trees, and small houses, some with red or white roofs, surrounded by lush vegetation.]()
Sustainable Cattle Grazing
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Coordinated Irrigation Schedules
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![Person wearing gardening gloves harvesting broccoli from a garden with leafy green plants.]()
Organic Fertilization
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![A person holding a chainsaw near a tree trunk surrounded by green foliage.]()
Pollarding, Mulching & Living Fences
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Silvopasture: Dispersed Legume Shade
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![A man wearing a blue, red, and white sports jersey with various sponsor logos, including 'Costa Rica' and 'KCRL', standing outdoors in front of a rural background with trees, cows, and a barn, framed by a wooden border with a yellow plaque reading '2025'.]()
Sustainable Ranching
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![A person using a shovel to dig a hole in the ground amidst leaves and grass, wearing muddy boots.]()
Ranch Work
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![World map showing REDD+ projects in orange and REDD+ supporters in purple across various countries, including Brazil, Indonesia, and some African and Asian nations. Text explains REDD+ as a mechanism to create incentives for developing countries to protect and manage forest resources, involving financial value for carbon stored in trees, with developed countries paying developing countries for their standing forests.]()
Forest Transition Curves
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![Chart showing the increase in applied weights of various anti-malarial drugs from 1984 to 2011 and the crop yields of wheat and oilseed rape from 1984 to 2011.]()
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
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![Map showing Costa Rica in 2010 with forest cover in purple and PSA project locations marked with orange dots. The map includes a legend, scale bar, and a highlighted text box noting that about 20% of Costa Rica's territory, or 1 million hectares, received PSA funding.]()
Payments for Environmental Services (PES)
Let’s talk
I’m eager to contribute my energy, perspective, and craft to meaningful, mission-driven collaboration.
Contact me