A quintessential beauty, Leilani Bishop epitomized the All-American aesthetic of the ’90s with cut-glass cheekbones and a doe-eyed accessibility as she fronted campaigns for Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Versus among a slew of others. Immortalized on the cover of Hole’s album Live Through This, Leilani further cemented her place in pop culture as she embodied the manic prom queen as an homage to the classic 1976 film Carrie directed by Brian De Palma.

As co-owner and president of the Yacumama Forest Carbon Project, Leilani has dedicated herself to protecting and conserving the tropical lowland floodplain forest of Yacumama.

Walk us through your involvement with the REDD+ carbon project.

The land in the Peruvian Amazon on which the project is founded has been in my family for over 30 years. My father has always been a lover of the land and felt we are all stewards of this earth. The project originally started—and is still to this day—primarily a conservation project that the Yacumama Forest Carbon Project funds.  Originally, it was an eco-lodge and an outpost for non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and scientists. My father passed away in 2024 and left the project to me and my siblings, so we are now directly responsible for all of the conservation efforts.

The REDD+ initiative has gained attention for its role in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. How do you believe REDD+ can create meaningful change in the fight against climate change?

Much of the destruction of the natural world and forests is driven by financial gain; hopefully, this will serve as an incentive for others to conserve rather than destroy.

One of the key goals of REDD+ is to balance the needs of local communities with environmental sustainability. How does the project ensure that indigenous and local communities benefit from these conservation efforts?

Our project is next to a local indigenous community that we have worked with before we were a REDD+ project.  The land and the waters that we are conserving are where they fish and hunt. We also employ members of the community and help with needs that may come up, such as health resources or building new water systems. 

Climate change is a huge global issue, and your work has a focused, grassroots approach. How do you balance the global urgency of climate action with localized, community-driven solutions?

It can all be overwhelming, but if we can all hyper-focus on our lives, environments, and our impact with our dollars it can make meaningful strides towards better practices. All areas need help so instead of spreading thin and trying to do it all, if we all can focus on our unique gifts and strengths, hopefully, it can all start to make a difference collectively.

What do you hope to see as the most tangible change in the next decade, both in the field of conservation and in terms of global environmental policies?

I hope that governments offer better protection for these lifelines, such as the Amazon and the oceans, so that we don’t have to—as individuals—fight loggers and corporate greed—which are getting support from corrupt governments.  As always, the problem is systemic, and we need countries and leaders to do better.

Beyond REDD+, what other projects or initiatives are you currently working on that you’re particularly excited about?

Since that has taken such a serious role in my life, I have been trying to have as much creativity in all other aspects of my life.  I’ve returned to improv and acting again, and I have some fun projects coming up. As well as exploring all the creativity I can, from writing to ceramics and of course modeling. I feel so lucky to have so many avenues I get to explore while the Amazon project gives me real purpose.

If you are interested in writing off your carbon footprint and/or supporting conservation in the Amazon, you can find us at Climate Trade.

Follow Leilani on Instagram, represented by Marilyn NY