Training Indigenous Communities in Tech-Based Monitoring Saves Rainforests
The first of a series of blog posts covering tech-based monitoring strategies for combating deforestation, accompanied by a video by If Not Us Then Who?
Naso Land Rights in the Balance
The Naso People of Panama have been fighting for legal recognition of their territory for more than 50 years. On February 20, 2019, the National Assembly of Panama officially recognized their lands. But will the President ratify the decision?
Brazil’s Elections: A Call To Action
With the election of Jair Bolsonaro, the consequences for Brazil’s environment look bleak. But indigenous peoples are leading by example.
Scaling Up Indigenous Land Titling in Panama
The National Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (COONAPIP) has been engaged in a decades-long battle with Panama’s Ministry of the Environment to secure land rights for ancestral forests. Read about this fight, and the renewed push for recognition by COONAPIP.
Fortress Conservation Hurts Our Planet
Fortress conservation is a standard method of protection for old-growth forests. This practice forbids any and all human interference with the land. Read how this idea, while good on paper, has troubling implications for indigenous populations.
Rainforests Are Destroyed While Government Deliberates
Far from Georgetown or other large settlements, the villages’ lands had been largely untouched by outside forces. Yet the geographical remoteness which had previously sheltered these communities is ending as new infrastructure makes it easier to access this region, putting its native populations in danger.
Direct Action Tips the Scales!
After hundreds of indigenous representatives and their allies blocked the entrances to Panama’s Ministry of the Environment, the director of MiAmbiente sat down to negotiate land rights petitions.
IpetĂ Win 45 Year Fight for Their Land
Decades ago, private interests drove the IpetĂ people off of their ancestral lands. Finally, the Panamanian government recognizes their land rights.