Promoting protection and sustainable management of indigenous areas in the Amazon
Project description
Title: Protection and Sustainable Management in Indigenous Areas of the Amazon
(Schutz und nachhaltiges Management in Indigenengebieten Amazoniens)
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Brazil
Partner: National Indian Foundation (Funai)
Lead executing agency: National Indian Foundation (Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI))
Overall term: 2018 to 2021
Context
Deforestation in Brazil is a major political challenge. In the Amazon region, indigenous lands protect Brazil's rainforest and its biodiversity. Brazil has more than 400 indigenous reserves, which together make up more than 12 per cent of the Brazilian territory. Most of them are located in the Amazon area. In addition, indigenous reserves are used for the protection of indigenous peoples, preserving their culture and knowledge in the long term.
Despite comprehensive rights that the constitution guarantees to indigenous peoples, land conflicts between indigenous peoples and landowners have repeatedly led to violence. The National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Lands (PNGATI), from 2008 to 2012, represented an important step in the inclusion of indigenous peoples in the sustainable management of their lands.
PNGATI functions on national and regional level through the implementation of policies by public and indigenous institutions.
The challenge lies in reconciling differing interests.
Objective
Planning, monitoring and evaluation capacities under PNGATI are improved and effective at the regional level.
Approach
PNGATI represents the political structure of all interventions for the protection and management of indigenous lands.
At the local level, regional coordination offices of the Fundação Nacional do Índio (FUNAI, in portuguese) (the National Indian Foundation) and local networks are the main stakeholders for the enforcement of PNGATI. In interaction with representatives of indigenous peoples, they are responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluating the actions taken. In addition they develop projects to enforce PNGATI.
In the pilot regions of Medio Purus and Madeira, FUNAI stakeholders and local networks are being trained for the tasks described by the cooperation partner Brazilian International Institute for Education (IIEB) and receive advisory measures. By means of an online education platform a distance learning course on content of PNGATI qualification and technical capacity-development is offered for the organisational development of FUNAI regional coordination, local authorities, indigenous organisations and local networks.
Latest update: October 2021