“Do you have a GPS signal here?”
In the Amazon, we help indigenous people protect their land from illegal logging, large-scale agriculture and other threats. International portfolio manager Luc Groot tells us more.
What exactly do you do in Brazil?
"We help local people map their land by teaching them how to use modern technology and collect data. This allows them to define the boundaries of their indigenous territory. Just like we did in countries like Colombia or Indonesia."
Why is this important?
"About 10 years ago, the government recognised much of Brazil’s territory as indigenous. This is incredibly important for protecting the rights of the indigenous population and their way of life, which is closely linked to the natural environment. People primarily live from subsistence farming, hunting and fishing. This way of life is under pressure from land claims by, for example, (non-indigenous) soy farmers and encroaching urbanisation. Because land rights in these areas are not properly registered, this leads to many conflicts. This project aims to provide clarity and legal certainty, especially for the indigenous population who are trying to protect their habitat."
How do you support them?
"With a well-functioning and transparent measuring and registration system. We help the local population, and the government properly map the area and its landowners. It is a large, jungle-like area. We are considering which technology will work in these circumstances. For instance, do you have sufficient GPS reception on your mobile phone? We are also exploring which software we can use to map the measurement data and how they can easily maintain that information themselves.”
What is the ultimate goal?
"Making it clear that this is indigenous territory, that the boundaries have been precisely mapped, and that the government recognises those boundaries. And that Brazil in this way protects their land in an effective manner, from illegal logging or improper use. If this project is successful, we will have a good example that we can apply in many other areas with indigenous people and governments."
More information
- Read more information about this project on our project page.