The development of rural areas is key to improving the opportunities and quality of life of their inhabitants, but it is something that has to be done with an environmental, sustainable perspective. The scientist and thinker Brigitte Baptiste (Colombia), Rector of Ean University and a regular contributor to media outlets such as La República, directed the Humboldt Institute for many years and is an authority on the management and care of Colombia’s incredible biodiversity. Baptiste talks to Juliana Gutierrez about how this development can be done.