Mapping land use in the Amazon rainforest: empowering indigenous communities
Indigenous leaders and youth in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest built new skills to map and protect their land during a hands-on workshop. The training strengthened local capacity, built trust and set the stage for long-term territorial governance.
Learning to map territory
From 10 to13 November 2025, the traditional leadership of the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory hosted a hands-on mapping workshop. Participants learned how to use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tools to create maps of their territory, as well as data models and satellite images. This helps to identify land uses, and to monitor environmental threats or illegal activities.
Strengthening land governance
The workshop was facilitated by Kadaster, in partnership with the Instituto Governança de Terras (IGT) and support from FUNAI, the National Indigenous People's Foundation. This is an important step towards strengthening land governance and protecting indigenous territories in the Baixo Tapajós region.
Taking ownership of the process
The workshop was very well received by both the traditional leadership and the youth, who are committed to being ‘guardians of the forest’. The workshop’s interactive approach helped build trust and allowed participants to take ownership of the process. The team emphasized, however, that data collection is only the beginning. Continued training and data integration will be essential to achieve long-term impact.
Combining technology with local knowledge
The workshop was funded by the Dutch Embassy in Brazil. It serves as a proof-of-concept for combining technology and local knowledge to safeguard indigenous territories. Its success could influence broader land governance and climate resilience strategies in the Amazon region in alignment with the global goals of COP30 in Belém.
More information
Read more about our projects in Brazil on the Brazil project page.