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<p>“Just for monitoring, just for surveillance, our leaders have been killed,” recounts Ranin Koshi (in Shipibo meaning Strong Man, Hunter), the leader of <a href="https://www.orau.org.pe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Organización Regional de AIDESEP-Ucayali (ORAU)</a> in Peru. The Indigenous communities ORAU represents have long recognized their territory in the Peruvian Amazon as the very essence of life. It’s the foundation of their culture, history and survival.</p>



<style>
.css-19vc5o2 aside {
   width: 100% !important;
float: none !important;
margin-left:
0px
!important;
}
</style>
<aside id="textbox"><em><b>About ORAU</b><p></p>
ORAU is a nonprofit civil association founded in 1999 with the purpose of representing and promoting the economic, social, political and cultural development of 13 Indigenous federations representing 20 Indigenous ethnic groups including: Amahuaca, Asháninka, Ashéninka Cashibo-Kakataibo, Cocama – Cocamilla, Shipibo – Conibo, Culina, Isconahua, Machiguenga, Mashco – Piro, Mastanahua, Murunahua, Nahua, Sharanahua, Cashinahua, Yaminahua, Yanesha, Yine, Awajun, and Chitonahua, whose ancestral territories are mostly located in the Ucayali department but also in part of the Loreto region (Ucayali province) and Huanuco department (Puerto Inca province) of Peru. ORAU is the regional office of AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana), the governing organization representing Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon.
</em> </aside>



<p>Yet, this deep bond with the land is under constant threat from illegal logging, deforestation, illicit crops, and other forms of intrusion. In 2001, Peru’s primary forest covered 69.1 million hectares, making up 54% of the country’s total land area. By 2023, the country experienced a 4% reduction of these forests.</p>



<p>Forest monitoring in communal territories has been going on for many years and has been embraced strongly, becoming a core part of the culture of Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Despite the threats, these communities were able to <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decrease deforestation</a> in their areas by more than 50% in just a year when using satellite data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) in their monitoring.</p>



<p>But more tools are needed to both protect forests and keep communities safe — in-person monitoring has led to dangerous confrontations and, tragically, the loss of leaders who dared to defend their sovereignty over their lands.</p>



<p>Now, Indigenous leaders in Peru are working collaboratively to develop new resources using MapBuilder, a tool that is helping them to control the data and narrative around deforestation in their territories and the threats they face to better work together, target solutions, and guard and defend their territories against latent threats to ancestral forests.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A history of forest monitoring using satellite data</h2>



<p>With support from Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) since 2016, and organizations like ORAU, Indigenous communities in the Ucayali and Loreto regions have moved beyond traditional methods of territory monitoring, developing the technical capacity to collect and manage satellite data and analyses themselves. Gone are the days of relying solely on physical patrols and the unaided eye; now, satellite imagery and near real-time data paint a territory-wide picture of their land’s condition.</p>



<p>“Technology allows us to reaffirm and guarantee our rights, especially with regards to the territory, for our future generations,” says Ranin Koshi.</p>



<p>In 2022, ORAU created its Satellite Information Center, “Imenko Tsiroti,” to address deforestation and threats in communal areas with the support of RFUS and to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples for mapping and satellite information for monitoring, surveillance and land management. This center processes data collected by forest monitors, along with relevant GFW data on forest loss in their territories, to address the challenge of monitoring community forests in near real-time to prevent and reduce deforestation.</p>



<p>Since last year, ORAU has been promoting the creation of its Regional Indigenous Environmental Crime Monitoring Network, with the Imenko Tsiroti Center as its base and main hub. With the support of &nbsp;<a href="https://www.usaid.gov/peru/documents/proyecto-prevenir" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USAID’s PREVENIR project</a>, it seeks to reduce the incidence of deforestation and crimes faced by Indigenous communities, as well as carry out strategic patrols and minimize the exposure of Indigenous vigilantes, monitors and/or leaders through the analysis of satellite data and technological tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A collaborative approach to visualizing data with MapBuilder</h2>



<p>To help further advance Indigenous communities’ capacity, Peru’s Indigenous organizations identified MapBuilder as an ideal tool for Indigenous leaders to help visualize the data the communities are gathering from their territories about the threats they face and share it in dynamic format in their discussions and negotiations with external actors (such as government agencies, UN bodies and donors) without having to print and carry large maps. <a href="https://mapbuilder.wri.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MapBuilder</a> is a tool developed by WRI’s Data Lab that allows users to create interactive maps combining curated, timely, trusted global data — including data from GFW — with the user’s local data.</p>



<p>At two RFUS-organized Tech Camps in 2023 — a reciprocal educational experience designed to train participants in using satellite data and tools, and also to understand the communities’ needs and collaborate on what needs data and tools can address — the GFW team trained technical staff from the Indigenous organizations to customize MapBuilder to create their own online geospatial portals.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1151" height="729" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru" class="wp-image-17509" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg 1151w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-768x486.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1151px) 100vw, 1151px" /></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1155" height="770" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru." class="wp-image-17510" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg 1155w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1155px) 100vw, 1155px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru. Credit: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>GFW also trained the organizations to create ESRI StoryMaps, which are useful to highlight specific issues such as video testimonials, photo galleries and narrative maps.</p>



<p>A main outcome of the Tech Camps was the creation of the ORAU geospatial portal using MapBuilder. This was possible due to the partnership between GFW, RFUS, the Indigenous organizations and the GIS mapping software company ESRI, participating as equal contributors in a process focused on shared learning and mutual benefit. Each contributor plays an important role in this process: GFW provides tailored monitoring data, the MapBuilder template, and training; RFUS convenes and facilitates the space for collaboration through the Tech Camps and offers crucial technical support on-site; and ORAU, through its Imenko Tsiroti Satellite Information Center, provides the data for the geospatial portal and functions as the data hub to collect field data generated by Indigenous communities as they patrol their territories informed by GFW deforestation alerts. This collaboration has been significantly advanced by the software licenses donations from ESRI, enhancing the project’s capacity for developing and maintaining tools like MapBuilder.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1095" height="730" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – Indigenous groups demonstrate their maps in Pucallpa, Peru. Credit: RFUS." class="wp-image-17511" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg 1095w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1095px) 100vw, 1095px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – Indigenous groups demonstrate their maps in Pucallpa, Peru. Credit: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>This collective endeavor, centered around joint exploration and development, leverages technology to directly integrate Indigenous partners’ knowledge and needs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Telling the story of forest threats</h2>



<p>Why, though, is visualizing information on a map so transformative? The answer lies in the map’s ability to contextualize data, creating a compelling narrative about the areas and communities it represents. A map tells a visual story, highlighting trends and priorities through the data it cross-references. For Indigenous communities, this means having the ability to prioritize resources and efforts based on timely, evidence-based data. For example, <a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464">maps</a> can leverage data from GFW on deforestation alerts and incorporate local insights on illegal activities, which in turn can help identify which community would benefit most from training monitors to detect illegal logging.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1860" height="1096" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17530" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map.png 1860w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map-1024x603.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map-768x453.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map-1536x905.png 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1860px) 100vw, 1860px" /></a></figure>



<p>Through the use of MapBuilder, Indigenous leaders are creating online geospatial portals and StoryMaps, making the reality of their territories visible to the world. It offers an unfiltered, bottom-up perspective on the threats these communities face and their efforts to counteract them.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1898" height="2048" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-1898x2048.png" alt="How indigenous organizations in the Peruvian Amazon monitor their territories" class="wp-image-17512" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-1898x2048.png 1898w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-949x1024.png 949w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-768x829.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-1423x1536.png 1423w" sizes="(max-width: 1898px) 100vw, 1898px" /></figure>



<p>With tools like MapBuilder, the Indigenous communities and organizations that represent them control the narrative based on the data they are collecting and releasing to the public.</p>



<p>This shift towards digital storytelling and monitoring represents a significant milestone in forest protection. “There is deforestation; I can only say it. But now, I can demonstrate it physically with the ease of technology,” Ranin Koshi says, adding that this transition from manual to digital is revolutionary for the communities and their leadership. MapBuilder provides them with undeniable evidence of the challenges they face, transforming abstract threats into tangible realities that can be addressed and acted upon.</p>



<p>But that’s not all. With over 33 leaders assassinated in a decade, starting with Edwin Chota in 2014 and Quinto Inuma in 2023, by adding the location of the threats to Indigenous environmental defenders, the maps show the convergence of the threats with the deforestation drivers based on the evidence collected during the patrols.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Scaling collaboration to protect Indigenous-held forests</h2>



<p>By integrating GFW data with communities’ field data into interactive applications, organizations like ORAU are fostering trust and enhancing collaborative efforts among community members and external stakeholders. The geospatial portals, developed using the MapBuilder template within ArcGIS Online, facilitate the seamless sharing of crucial environmental data, tailored to each organization’s specific needs and contexts.</p>



<p>Peru is just the starting point, signaling the potential for expansion within the Amazon Basin. Other Indigenous and local communities have begun to adopt monitoring technologies. For example, the <a href="https://sarayaku.org/guardianes-selva/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sarayaku </a>People in Ecuador use monitoring technology to support the implementation of their territory management plan, and <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/?country=COL&projectId=99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COCOMASUR</a> protects the territory of 33 Afro-descendant communities in Colombia. At the regional level, the AIDESEP-COICA Early Warning and Rapid Response Alert System (<a href="https://aidesep.org.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Infografia-Sistema-de-Alerta-Temprana-de-COICA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SAT/RR-COICA</a>) seeks to combine monitoring technology with a platform and protocols to respond to threats to Indigenous territories and peoples.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>ORAU’s MapBuilder-based geoportal is more than just a mapping tool; it’s a testament to the power of collaboration between technology experts and Indigenous organizations and communities. The use of MapBuilder in Peru by Indigenous organizations can pave the way for its adoption elsewhere, and shows how technology, when shaped by the very people it aims to serve, can become a powerful tool in the preservation of resources.</p>



<style type="text/css"></style>

Indigenous Communities in the Peruvian Amazon Protect their Forest Heritage with MapBuilder 

<p>“Just for monitoring, just for surveillance, our leaders have been killed,” recounts Ranin Koshi (in Shipibo meaning Strong Man, Hunter), the leader of <a href="https://www.orau.org.pe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Organización Regional de AIDESEP-Ucayali (ORAU)</a> in Peru. The Indigenous communities ORAU represents have long recognized their territory in the Peruvian Amazon as the very essence of life. It's the foundation of their culture, history and survival.</p>



<style>
.css-19vc5o2 aside {
   width: 100% !important;
float: none !important;
margin-left:
0px
!important;
}
</style>
<aside id="textbox"><em><b>About ORAU</b><p></p>
ORAU is a nonprofit civil association founded in 1999 with the purpose of representing and promoting the economic, social, political and cultural development of 13 Indigenous federations representing 20 Indigenous ethnic groups including: Amahuaca, Asháninka, Ashéninka Cashibo-Kakataibo, Cocama - Cocamilla, Shipibo - Conibo, Culina, Isconahua, Machiguenga, Mashco - Piro, Mastanahua, Murunahua, Nahua, Sharanahua, Cashinahua, Yaminahua, Yanesha, Yine, Awajun, and Chitonahua, whose ancestral territories are mostly located in the Ucayali department but also in part of the Loreto region (Ucayali province) and Huanuco department (Puerto Inca province) of Peru. ORAU is the regional office of AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana), the governing organization representing Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon.
</em> </aside>



<p>Yet, this deep bond with the land is under constant threat from illegal logging, deforestation, illicit crops, and other forms of intrusion. In 2001, Peru’s primary forest covered 69.1 million hectares, making up 54% of the country’s total land area. By 2023, the country experienced a 4% reduction of these forests.</p>



<p>Forest monitoring in communal territories has been going on for many years and has been embraced strongly, becoming a core part of the culture of Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Despite the threats, these communities were able to <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015171118" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">decrease deforestation</a> in their areas by more than 50% in just a year when using satellite data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) in their monitoring.</p>



<p>But more tools are needed to both protect forests and keep communities safe — in-person monitoring has led to dangerous confrontations and, tragically, the loss of leaders who dared to defend their sovereignty over their lands.</p>



<p>Now, Indigenous leaders in Peru are working collaboratively to develop new resources using MapBuilder, a tool that is helping them to control the data and narrative around deforestation in their territories and the threats they face to better work together, target solutions, and guard and defend their territories against latent threats to ancestral forests.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A history of forest monitoring using satellite data</h2>



<p>With support from Rainforest Foundation US (RFUS) since 2016, and organizations like ORAU, Indigenous communities in the Ucayali and Loreto regions have moved beyond traditional methods of territory monitoring, developing the technical capacity to collect and manage satellite data and analyses themselves. Gone are the days of relying solely on physical patrols and the unaided eye; now, satellite imagery and near real-time data paint a territory-wide picture of their land's condition.</p>



<p>“Technology allows us to reaffirm and guarantee our rights, especially with regards to the territory, for our future generations,” says Ranin Koshi.</p>



<p>In 2022, ORAU created its Satellite Information Center, “Imenko Tsiroti," to address deforestation and threats in communal areas with the support of RFUS and to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples for mapping and satellite information for monitoring, surveillance and land management. This center processes data collected by forest monitors, along with relevant GFW data on forest loss in their territories, to address the challenge of monitoring community forests in near real-time to prevent and reduce deforestation.</p>



<p>Since last year, ORAU has been promoting the creation of its Regional Indigenous Environmental Crime Monitoring Network, with the Imenko Tsiroti Center as its base and main hub. With the support of &nbsp;<a href="https://www.usaid.gov/peru/documents/proyecto-prevenir" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">USAID's PREVENIR project</a>, it seeks to reduce the incidence of deforestation and crimes faced by Indigenous communities, as well as carry out strategic patrols and minimize the exposure of Indigenous vigilantes, monitors and/or leaders through the analysis of satellite data and technological tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">A collaborative approach to visualizing data with MapBuilder</h2>



<p>To help further advance Indigenous communities’ capacity, Peru's Indigenous organizations identified MapBuilder as an ideal tool for Indigenous leaders to help visualize the data the communities are gathering from their territories about the threats they face and share it in dynamic format in their discussions and negotiations with external actors (such as government agencies, UN bodies and donors) without having to print and carry large maps. <a href="https://mapbuilder.wri.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MapBuilder</a> is a tool developed by WRI’s Data Lab that allows users to create interactive maps combining curated, timely, trusted global data — including data from GFW — with the user’s local data.</p>



<p>At two RFUS-organized Tech Camps in 2023 — a reciprocal educational experience designed to train participants in using satellite data and tools, and also to understand the communities’ needs and collaborate on what needs data and tools can address — the GFW team trained technical staff from the Indigenous organizations to customize MapBuilder to create their own online geospatial portals.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru" class="wp-image-17509"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru." class="wp-image-17510"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru. Credit: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>GFW also trained the organizations to create ESRI StoryMaps, which are useful to highlight specific issues such as video testimonials, photo galleries and narrative maps.</p>



<p>A main outcome of the Tech Camps was the creation of the ORAU geospatial portal using MapBuilder. This was possible due to the partnership between GFW, RFUS, the Indigenous organizations and the GIS mapping software company ESRI, participating as equal contributors in a process focused on shared learning and mutual benefit. Each contributor plays an important role in this process: GFW provides tailored monitoring data, the MapBuilder template, and training; RFUS convenes and facilitates the space for collaboration through the Tech Camps and offers crucial technical support on-site; and ORAU, through its Imenko Tsiroti Satellite Information Center, provides the data for the geospatial portal and functions as the data hub to collect field data generated by Indigenous communities as they patrol their territories informed by GFW deforestation alerts. This collaboration has been significantly advanced by the software licenses donations from ESRI, enhancing the project's capacity for developing and maintaining tools like MapBuilder.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – Indigenous groups demonstrate their maps in Pucallpa, Peru. Credit: RFUS." class="wp-image-17511"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – Indigenous groups demonstrate their maps in Pucallpa, Peru. Credit: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>This collective endeavor, centered around joint exploration and development, leverages technology to directly integrate Indigenous partners' knowledge and needs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Telling the story of forest threats</h2>



<p>Why, though, is visualizing information on a map so transformative? The answer lies in the map's ability to contextualize data, creating a compelling narrative about the areas and communities it represents. A map tells a visual story, highlighting trends and priorities through the data it cross-references. For Indigenous communities, this means having the ability to prioritize resources and efforts based on timely, evidence-based data. For example, <a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464">maps</a> can leverage data from GFW on deforestation alerts and incorporate local insights on illegal activities, which in turn can help identify which community would benefit most from training monitors to detect illegal logging.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17530"/></a></figure>



<p>Through the use of MapBuilder, Indigenous leaders are creating online geospatial portals and StoryMaps, making the reality of their territories visible to the world. It offers an unfiltered, bottom-up perspective on the threats these communities face and their efforts to counteract them.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_EN-1898x2048.png" alt="How indigenous organizations in the Peruvian Amazon monitor their territories" class="wp-image-17512"/></figure>



<p>With tools like MapBuilder, the Indigenous communities and organizations that represent them control the narrative based on the data they are collecting and releasing to the public.</p>



<p>This shift towards digital storytelling and monitoring represents a significant milestone in forest protection. “There is deforestation; I can only say it. But now, I can demonstrate it physically with the ease of technology,” Ranin Koshi says, adding that this transition from manual to digital is revolutionary for the communities and their leadership. MapBuilder provides them with undeniable evidence of the challenges they face, transforming abstract threats into tangible realities that can be addressed and acted upon.</p>



<p>But that’s not all. With over 33 leaders assassinated in a decade, starting with Edwin Chota in 2014 and Quinto Inuma in 2023, by adding the location of the threats to Indigenous environmental defenders, the maps show the convergence of the threats with the deforestation drivers based on the evidence collected during the patrols.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Scaling collaboration to protect Indigenous-held forests</h2>



<p>By integrating GFW data with communities’ field data into interactive applications, organizations like ORAU are fostering trust and enhancing collaborative efforts among community members and external stakeholders. The geospatial portals, developed using the MapBuilder template within ArcGIS Online, facilitate the seamless sharing of crucial environmental data, tailored to each organization's specific needs and contexts.</p>



<p>Peru is just the starting point, signaling the potential for expansion within the Amazon Basin. Other Indigenous and local communities have begun to adopt monitoring technologies. For example, the <a href="https://sarayaku.org/guardianes-selva/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sarayaku </a>People in Ecuador use monitoring technology to support the implementation of their territory management plan, and <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/?country=COL&amp;projectId=99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">COCOMASUR</a> protects the territory of 33 Afro-descendant communities in Colombia. At the regional level, the AIDESEP-COICA Early Warning and Rapid Response Alert System (<a href="https://aidesep.org.pe/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Infografia-Sistema-de-Alerta-Temprana-de-COICA.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SAT/RR-COICA</a>) seeks to combine monitoring technology with a platform and protocols to respond to threats to Indigenous territories and peoples.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>ORAU’s MapBuilder-based geoportal is more than just a mapping tool; it's a testament to the power of collaboration between technology experts and Indigenous organizations and communities. The use of MapBuilder in Peru by Indigenous organizations can pave the way for its adoption elsewhere, and shows how technology, when shaped by the very people it aims to serve, can become a powerful tool in the preservation of resources.</p>



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<p>"Solo por monitorear, solo por vigilar, han asesinado a nuestros líderes", relata Ranin Koshi (en Shipibo, Hombre Fuerte, Cazador), líder de la Organización Regional de AIDESEP-Ucayali (ORAU) en Perú. Las comunidades indígenas que representa la ORAU reconocen desde hace mucho tiempo su territorio en la Amazonía peruana como la esencia misma de la vida. Es la base de su cultura, historia y supervivencia.</p>



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<aside id="textbox"><em><b>Acerca de la ORAU</b><p></p>
La ORAU es una asociación civil sin fines de lucro fundada en 1999 con el propósito de representar y promover el desarrollo económico, social, político y cultural de 20 pueblos indígenas y 13 bases federativas, como: Amahuaca, Asháninka, Ashéninka Cashibo-Kakataibo, Cocama - Cocamilla, Shipibo – Conibo, Culina, Isconahua, Machiguenga, Mashco – Piro, Mastanahua, Murunahua, Nahua, Sharanahua, Cashinahua, Yaminahua, Yanesha, Yine, Awajun, Chitonahua, cuyos territorios ancestrales se encuentran mayoritariamente en el departamento Ucayali, parte de la región Loreto (provincia de Ucayali) y departamento Huánuco (provincia Puerto Inca). La ORAU es la oficina regional de la AIDESEP (Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana), la organización vocera de los pueblos indígenas de la Amazonía del Perú.
</em> </aside>



<p>Sin embargo, este profundo vínculo con la tierra está constantemente amenazado por la tala ilegal, la deforestación, cultivos ilícitos y otras formas de intrusión. En 2001, los bosques primarios de Perú cubrían 69,1 millones de hectáreas, lo que representaba el 54% de la superficie total del país. Para 2023, el país experimentaba una reducción del 4% de estos bosques.</p>



<p>El monitoreo forestal en los territorios comunales se lleva realizando desde hace muchos años y se está convirtiendo en un elemento central del patrimonio de las comunidades indígenas de la Amazonía peruana. A pesar de las amenazas, estas comunidades <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2015171118">lograron reducir la deforestación</a> en sus áreas en más del 50% en solo un año al utilizar datos satelitales de Global Forest Watch (GFW) en su monitoreo.</p>



<p>Pero se necesitan más herramientas para proteger los bosques y mantener seguras a las comunidades: el monitoreo en persona ha provocado enfrentamientos peligrosos y, trágicamente, la pérdida de líderes que se atrevieron a defender la soberanía sobre sus tierras.</p>



<p>Ahora, los líderes indígenas de Perú están trabajando en colaboración para desarrollar nuevos recursos utilizando MapBuilder, una herramienta que les está ayudando a controlar los datos y la narrativa en torno a la deforestación en sus territorios y las amenazas que enfrentan para trabajar mejor juntos y encontrar soluciones que les permitan monitorear, vigilar y defender sus territorios frente a amenazas latentes en los bosques ancestrales.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Una historia de monitoreo forestal utilizando datos satelitales</h2>



<p>Con el apoyo de organizaciones como RFUS desde 2016, y organizaciones como la ORAU, las comunidades indígenas en las regiones de Ucayali y Loreto han ido más allá de los métodos tradicionales de monitoreo territorial, desarrollando la capacidad técnica para recolectar y administrar datos por sí mismas. Atrás quedaron los días de depender únicamente de las patrullas físicas y a simple vista; ahora, las imágenes satelitales y los datos casi en tiempo real brindan una imagen completa del estado de sus territorios.</p>



<p>“La tecnología nos permite reafirmar y garantizar nuestros derechos, especialmente en lo que respecta al territorio, para nuestras generaciones futuras”, dice Ranin Koshi.</p>



<p>En 2022, la ORAU creó su Centro de Información Satelital “Imenko Tsiroti” (CISIT) para abordar la deforestación y las amenazas en territorios comunales con el apoyo de la RFUS y atender la demanda de información cartográfica y satelital de los pueblos indígenas con información para monitoreo, vigilancia y gestión de territorio. Dicho centro procesa datos con información de Global Forest Watch con la gran tarea de monitorear los bosques comunales utilizando tecnología que brinda información en tiempo casi real para prevenir y reducir la deforestación.</p>



<p>Desde el año pasado, la ORAU impulsa la creación de su Red de Monitoreo Regional Indígena de Delitos Ambientales con el CISIT como base y eje principal. Con la asistencia del Proyecto <a href="https://www.usaid.gov/peru/documents/proyecto-prevenir">PREVENIR de USAID</a>, se busca reducir la incidencia de la deforestación y los delitos que afrontan las comunidades nativas, así como la realización de patrullajes estratégicos y minimizar la exposición de los vigilantes, monitores y/o líderes indígenas mediante el análisis de datos satelitales y herramientas tecnológicas.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Un enfoque colaborativo para visualizar datos con MapBuilder</h2>



<p>Para ayudar a avanzar aún más la capacidad de las comunidades indígenas, las organizaciones indígenas identificaron a MapBuilder como una herramienta para que los líderes indígenas ayuden a visualizar los datos geográficos sobre sus territorios y las amenazas que enfrentan en sus discusiones y negociaciones con actores externos (como agencias gubernamentales, organismos de la ONU, donantes y organizaciones de la sociedad civil). <a href="https://mapbuilder.wri.org/">MapBuilder</a> es una herramienta desarrollada por el Data Lab de WRI que permite a los usuarios crear mapas interactivos que combinan datos globales oportunos y confiables, incluidos los datos de GFW, con los datos locales del usuario.</p>



<p>En dos campamentos tecnológicos (Tech Camps) organizados por RFUS en 2023 - una experiencia educativa recíproca diseñada para capacitar a los participantes en el uso de datos y herramientas satelitales, y también para comprender las necesidades de las comunidades y colaborar en qué necesidades pueden abordar los datos y las herramientas - el equipo de GFW capacitó al personal técnico de las organizaciones indígenas para crear sus propios portales geoespaciales en línea.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/1_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru" class="wp-image-17509"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2_2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-workshop-in-Iquitos-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – workshop in Iquitos, Peru." class="wp-image-17510"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Campamento Tecnológico 2023 organizado por RFUS - taller en Iquitos, Perú. Crédito: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>GFW también capacitó a las organizaciones para crear ESRI StoryMaps, que son útiles para resaltar materiales multimedia como testimonios en video, galerías de fotos y mapas narrativos.</p>



<p>Un resultado principal de los Tech Camps fue la creación del portal geoespacial la ORAU utilizando MapBuilder. Esto fue posible gracias a la alianza entre GFW, RFUS, la organización indígena y la donación de software de mapeo y sistemas geoespaciales de ESRI, participando como contribuyentes iguales en un proceso enfocado en el aprendizaje compartido y el beneficio mutuo. Cada colaborador juega un papel importante en este proceso:</p>



<p>GFW y WRI proporcionan datos de monitoreo personalizados, la plantilla MapBuilder y capacitación; RFUS convoca y facilita el espacio de colaboración a través de los Tech Camps además de ofrecer apoyo técnico crucial en campo; y la ORAU, a través del CISIT, proporciona los datos para el portal geoespacial y funciona como el centro de datos para recopilar datos de campo generados por las comunidades indígenas mientras patrullan sus territorios informados por las alertas de deforestación de GFW. Esta colaboración ha avanzado significativamente debido a&nbsp; las donaciones de licencias de software de ESRI, mejorando la capacidad del proyecto para desarrollar y mantener herramientas como MapBuilder.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-Tech-Camp-organized-by-RFUS-–-Indigenous-groups-demonstrate-their-maps-in-Pucallpa-Peru.-Credit-RFUS.jpg" alt="2023 Tech Camp organized by RFUS – Indigenous groups demonstrate their maps in Pucallpa, Peru. Credit: RFUS." class="wp-image-17511"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Campamento Tecnológico 2023 organizado por RFUS - Grupos indígenas muestran sus mapas en Pucallpa, Perú. Crédito: RFUS.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Este esfuerzo colectivo, centrado en la exploración y el desarrollo conjuntos, aprovecha la tecnología para integrar directamente el conocimiento y las necesidades de los socios indígenas.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Contando la historia de las amenazas forestales</h2>



<p>¿Por qué, entonces, visualizar información en un mapa es tan transformador? La respuesta radica en la capacidad del mapa para contextualizar los datos, creando una narrativa convincente sobre las áreas y comunidades que representa. Un mapa cuenta una historia visual, destacando tendencias y prioridades a través de los datos que hace referencia cruzada. Para las comunidades indígenas, esto significa tener la capacidad de priorizar recursos y esfuerzos en función de datos oportunos y basados ​​en evidencia. Por ejemplo, <a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464">los mapas</a> pueden aprovechar datos de GFW sobre alertas de deforestación e incorporar información local sobre actividades ilegales, lo que a su vez puede ayudar a identificar qué comunidad se beneficiaría más de la capacitación de monitores para detectar la tala ilegal.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://my.gfw-mapbuilder.org/v1.latest/?appid=867894697a6a4bc68c18a2c4b95ae464"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/ORAU-mapbuilder-map-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-17533"/></a></figure>



<p>Mediante el uso de MapBuilder, los líderes indígenas están creando portales geoespaciales y StoryMaps en línea, haciendo visible la realidad de sus territorios para el mundo. Ofrece una perspectiva sin filtros y de abajo hacia arriba sobre las amenazas que enfrentan estas comunidades y sus esfuerzos para contrarrestarlas.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/24.05.28_MapBuilder-Peru_Insights_ES-1898x2048.png" alt="Cómo las organizaciones indígenas en la Amazonía peruana monitorean y mapean sus territorios" class="wp-image-17527"/></figure>



<p>Con herramientas como MapBuilder, las comunidades indígenas y las organizaciones que las representan controlan la narrativa en función de los datos que recopilan y publican al público.</p>



<p>Este cambio hacia la narración y el monitoreo digitales representa un hito significativo en la protección de sus bosques ancestrales. “Hay deforestación; solo puedo decirlo. Pero ahora, puedo demostrarlo físicamente con la facilidad de la tecnología”, dice Ranin Koshi, y agrega que esta transición de manual a digital es revolucionaria para las comunidades y su liderazgo. MapBuilder les proporciona evidencia innegable de los desafíos que enfrentan, transformando las amenazas abstractas en realidades tangibles que pueden abordarse y sobre las que se puede actuar.</p>



<p>Pero eso no es todo. Con más de 33 líderes asesinados en una década, desde Edwin Chota en 2014 hasta Quinto Inuma en 2023, al agregar la ubicación de las amenazas a los defensores indígenas del medio ambiente, los mapas muestran la convergencia de las amenazas con los factores de deforestación según la evidencia recopilada durante los patrullajes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Escalando la colaboración para proteger los bosques de las comunidades indígenas</h2>



<p>Al integrar los datos de GFW con los datos de campo obtenidos por las comunidades en aplicaciones interactivas, organizaciones como la ORAU fomentan la confianza y fortalecen los esfuerzos de colaboración entre los miembros de la comunidad y las partes interesadas externas. Los portales geoespaciales, desarrollados utilizando la plantilla MapBuilder dentro de ArcGIS Online, facilitan el intercambio fluido de datos ambientales cruciales, adaptados a las necesidades y contextos específicos de cada organización.</p>



<p>Perú es solo el punto de partida, lo que indica el potencial de expansión dentro de la cuenca del Amazonas. Otras comunidades indígenas y locales han comenzado a adoptar tecnologías de monitoreo. Por ejemplo, el Pueblo Sarayaku en Ecuador utiliza tecnología de monitoreo para apoyar la implementación de su plan de manejo territorial, y COCOMASUR protege el territorio de 33 comunidades afrodescendientes en Colombia. A nivel regional, el Sistema de Alerta Temprana y Respuesta Rápida AIDESEP-COICA (SAT/RR-COICA) busca combinar la tecnología de monitoreo con una plataforma y protocolos para responder a las amenazas a los territorios y pueblos indígenas.</p>



<p>El geoportal de la ORAU basado en MapBuilder es más que una simple herramienta de mapeo; es un testimonio del poder de la colaboración entre expertos en tecnología y organizaciones y comunidades indígenas. El uso de MapBuilder en Perú por organizaciones indígenas puede abrir el camino para su adopción en otros lugares, y muestra cómo la tecnología, cuando la moldean las mismas personas a las que pretende servir, puede convertirse en una herramienta poderosa para la preservación de los recursos.</p>



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<p><em>“We are part of nature and nature lives in coexistence. Everything is interconnected and everything depends on each other … If we don’t work collaboratively and in a connected way, we sure won’t be able to move forward.” </em>– Tatiana Espinosa, President of ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, and a member of the Amazonía Que Late Network</p>



<iframe loading="lazy" width="450" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/konVVZhR5_M?si=G9R976DqJWz0eRVz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>



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<p>Deep in the Amazon, volunteers from the Voluntary and Communal Conservation Network of San Martin receive a deforestation alert in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: the forest monitoring app shows an <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alert</a> detecting a disturbance in a monitored area. The volunteers arrive by various means — from small boat, motorcycle, or horseback to endless walking — to an area that has been cleared, illegally. Within the Forest Watcher app, they document a report and capture evidence of the impact. Network volunteers alert the local authorities who launch an official investigation.</p>



<p>Guardians of the forest in San Martín, Peru, use Global Forest Watch’s (GFW) data and technologies such as Forest Watcher daily to monitor forests, prevent deforestation and defend biodiversity. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA) — a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Peru’s natural and cultural heritage and improving the sustainable development of the people of the Andean Amazon, and a GFW Small Grants Fund recipient — works with allies such as conservation concession holders from the San Martin Network to monitor and patrol forest areas (conservation and ecotourism concessions are public forest areas where legal management rights are granted to groups such as NGOs, like AMPA, that are organized by the civil society of the communities that voluntarily conserve the forests).</p>



<p>AMPA works with local communities and authorities to carry out joint actions to verify deforestation and raise awareness of environmental crimes. Since 2017, they actively monitored forest loss in the regions of San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali — an area that totals over 900,000 hectares. Through this work, they provided the San Martin network with a space to connect and collaborate on the conservation of the forest lands that were assigned to them for management and protection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leveraging GFW tools to build forest monitoring capacity</h2>



<p>AMPA is a four-time recipient of the GFW <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Small Grants Fund</a> (SGF), which provides financial and technical assistance to organizations to monitor and respond to deforestation. AMPA’s projects aim to pair local knowledge with a more robust use of GFW data and tools to improve the response capacity and awareness of environmental crimes in Peru’s San Martin region. During their projects, AMPA has trained volunteers on how to use tools like GFW data and the Forest Watcher app.</p>



<p>GFW’s partnership with AMPA started in 2017 during their first year as a SGF grantee. AMPA used GFW data and tools to implement a control and surveillance system within the conservation initiatives in the San Martin Network.</p>



<p>“Associations that protect forests use [GFW] as part of their surveillance and control systems, allowing them to organize patrol watches, tours and identify areas according to the degree of threat and vulnerability,” explained Jorge Fachín, Director of the Forest Program, Conservation and Monitoring of AMPA</p>



<p>GFW tools and monitoring equipment help AMPA improve forest monitoring activities of the volunteer network by enabling them to lead patrols more easily and rapidly. The use of drones and mobile apps like Forest Watcher help the volunteers collect sufficient information to carry out field activities with authorities, collect necessary information and evidence, and generate patrol reports.</p>



<p>Over the course of several SGF projects, AMPA worked with conservation networks in the Peruvian Amazon, including San Martin to use GFW solutions and develop&nbsp;their monitoring capacity, evolving each project based on lessons learned from their previous work. This involved the use and management of deforestation alerts and the development of skills to handle GPS, drones and cameras, and a “train the trainers” approach.</p>



<p>This equipped the San Martin Network to train their members on how to use GFW tools and identify deforestation alerts, and provided young network members with personalized training for data management and tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GIS and monitoring unit ready to respond to environmental crimes</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="768" height="432" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Volunteers using a drone. Credit: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA also expanded its focus to continue to build capacity in forest custodian accreditation workshops, which include members of the Peruvian Amazon networks AMPA works with. This includes the formation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and monitoring unit to monitor areas with GFW and remote sensing technology. The GIS and monitoring unit helped improve the verification of deforestation alerts and provide detailed information on the forest cover changes in the conservation areas.</p>



<p>Collaborating with technically capable monitoring brigades and forest custodians from the Peruvian Amazon networks strengthened AMPA’s ability to work directly with authorities to verify and respond to environmental crimes. The GIS and monitoring unit provided technical support in verification procedures to the authorities and prepared deforestation and field verification reports that were shared with Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the Regional Environmental Authority (ARA). These reports support legal and administrative complaints against those responsible for environmental crimes, such as illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>Ultimately, authorities from FEMA and ARA officially recognized AMPA’ reports, along with GLAD alerts and Planet and drone imagery, as official evidence of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Joint actions between AMPA’s GIS and monitoring unit, local actors and authorities helped strengthen and improve attention to environmental crimes with the active participation and involvement of local partners playing a key role. Due to the quality of reports submitted to FEMA on behalf of the San Martin Network, AMPA now has a formal inter-institutional agreement to assist the FEMA office in San Martin with collecting information on possible illegal deforestation using drones and Planet imagery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alliances with local authorities</h2>



<p>AMPA organized workshops with representatives of the institutions directly involved in addressing environmental crimes in the region, which included designing a unified process for representatives and partners to collect key information for investigations through technical procedures that integrated GFW data and tools. Additionally, AMPA provided trainings for FEMA and ARA members on how to best use the data and tools.</p>



<p>AMPA helped prosecutors and technicians obtain accreditation as operators of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, or drones) which strengthened their ability to conduct verifications. Furthermore, AMPA also supported monitoring and conservation partners to get accredited as RPAS operators, improving their ability to verify deforestation alerts in the areas they investigated, which in turn strengthened their reporting of forest-related crimes to authorities.</p>



<p>To share insights from their strategic approach for verifying and reporting crimes, AMPA developed a roadmap on integrating technology use and collaboration with local actors and authorities, including information on strategic alliances with different stakeholders (communities and local, regional and national governments).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="724" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png" alt="Infographic: Road map for responding to environmental crime" class="wp-image-16484" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1-768x543.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>This manual was created as part of the San Martin Network’s efforts to raise awareness and help address environmental crimes. They also shared this manual with partners on the platform of “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Escuela</em> <em>Amazonía que Late</em></a>,” an initiative led by AMPA that brings together local communities, Indigenous Peoples, organized civil society and local governments, and other partners across various conservation initiatives in Peru to learn about strategies to protect its natural and cultural heritage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raising awareness of community forest monitoring efforts</h2>



<p>The surveillance and control system for forest monitoring developed by AMPA resulted in community advocacy efforts to raise awareness of environmental crimes within local, regional and national law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor’s office, to reduce illegal deforestation. AMPA’s reports based on the deforestation alerts <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">received media coverage</a> and not only caught the attention of authorities to identify offenders, but their complaints were raised to the prosecutor’s office. To date, two reports based on AMPA’s approach that were referred to the authorities have resulted in sentencing of those responsible for environmental crimes.</p>



<p>As part of their communication strategy, AMPA prepared press releases and audiovisual materials to feature the main activities of their project that were disseminated across local, regional and national media and partner websites. These communication efforts helped emphasize and highlight the role of AMPA’s participatory monitoring work and raise awareness among stakeholders of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Additionally, AMPA has hosted meetings and workshops with public institutions responsible for forest management in Peru to explain their control and surveillance system. National and subnational government agencies have recognized AMPA as an important stakeholder in the conservation and management of forests in the San Martin region and in the Peruvian Amazon, and several additional national and regional government agencies have requested training and technical support from them.</p>



<p>“We’re proud of the renewal of the inter-institutional agreement with the Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the interest of other donors to continue promoting and executing projects with forest monitoring components based on our experience in other regions,” said Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From deforestation alert to community action and beyond</h2>



<p>A key element of AMPA’s success is their approach to building partnerships with local communities and law enforcement authorities to use tools like GFW to verify deforestation and address environmental crimes, together. Today, AMPA continues their work within the network of community conservation concessions and local law enforcement to combat deforestation in San Martin. They are building off the momentum of their first successful collaboration with law enforcement and are working with forest monitors to continue participating in field visits with FEMA. Additionally, they are expanding their geographic reach and response to environmental crimes and are working with prosecutors from four provinces, including Loreto, Amazonas and two in San Martin.</p>



<p>AMPA‘s work continues to be recognized by regional and national authorities. Notably, their inter-institutional agreement with FEMA has been renewed, and they continue to work with strategic partners and allies to promote and execute forest monitoring projects in the region. They plan to build on capacity-strengthening efforts of local forest conservation associations through participatory implementation of surveillance systems and processes for their conservation initiatives. Furthermore, they will continue to provide technical support to FEMA and coordinate with authorities and local actors that are helping deliver justice for those affected by environmental crimes, and ultimately improve the lives of the communities that depend on forests.</p>



<p><em>To learn more about AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visit their website.</em></a></p>



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Forest Guardians in Action: Amazónicos por la Amazonía Tackles Environmental Crimes with GFW

<p><em>“We are part of nature and nature lives in coexistence. Everything is interconnected and everything depends on each other ... If we don’t work collaboratively and in a connected way, we sure won’t be able to move forward.” </em>- Tatiana Espinosa, President of ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, and a member of the Amazonía Que Late Network</p>



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<p>Deep in the Amazon, volunteers from the Voluntary and Communal Conservation Network of San Martin receive a deforestation alert in <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: the forest monitoring app shows an <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alert</a> detecting a disturbance in a monitored area. The volunteers arrive by various means — from small boat, motorcycle, or horseback to endless walking — to an area that has been cleared, illegally. Within the Forest Watcher app, they document a report and capture evidence of the impact. Network volunteers alert the local authorities who launch an official investigation.</p>



<p>Guardians of the forest in San Martín, Peru, use Global Forest Watch’s (GFW) data and technologies such as Forest Watcher daily to monitor forests, prevent deforestation and defend biodiversity. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA) — a nonprofit organization committed to conserving Peru’s natural and cultural heritage and improving the sustainable development of the people of the Andean Amazon, and a GFW Small Grants Fund recipient — works with allies such as conservation concession holders from the San Martin Network to monitor and patrol forest areas (conservation and ecotourism concessions are public forest areas where legal management rights are granted to groups such as NGOs, like AMPA, that are organized by the civil society of the communities that voluntarily conserve the forests).</p>



<p>AMPA works with local communities and authorities to carry out joint actions to verify deforestation and raise awareness of environmental crimes. Since 2017, they actively monitored forest loss in the regions of San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali — an area that totals over 900,000 hectares. Through this work, they provided the San Martin network with a space to connect and collaborate on the conservation of the forest lands that were assigned to them for management and protection.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leveraging GFW tools to build forest monitoring capacity</h2>



<p>AMPA is a four-time recipient of the GFW <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Small Grants Fund</a> (SGF), which provides financial and technical assistance to organizations to monitor and respond to deforestation. AMPA’s projects aim to pair local knowledge with a more robust use of GFW data and tools to improve the response capacity and awareness of environmental crimes in Peru’s San Martin region. During their projects, AMPA has trained volunteers on how to use tools like GFW data and the Forest Watcher app.</p>



<p>GFW’s partnership with AMPA started in 2017 during their first year as a SGF grantee. AMPA used GFW data and tools to implement a control and surveillance system within the conservation initiatives in the San Martin Network.</p>



<p>“Associations that protect forests use [GFW] as part of their surveillance and control systems, allowing them to organize patrol watches, tours and identify areas according to the degree of threat and vulnerability,” explained Jorge Fachín, Director of the Forest Program, Conservation and Monitoring of AMPA</p>



<p>GFW tools and monitoring equipment help AMPA improve forest monitoring activities of the volunteer network by enabling them to lead patrols more easily and rapidly. The use of drones and mobile apps like Forest Watcher help the volunteers collect sufficient information to carry out field activities with authorities, collect necessary information and evidence, and generate patrol reports.</p>



<p>Over the course of several SGF projects, AMPA worked with conservation networks in the Peruvian Amazon, including San Martin to use GFW solutions and develop&nbsp;their monitoring capacity, evolving each project based on lessons learned from their previous work. This involved the use and management of deforestation alerts and the development of skills to handle GPS, drones and cameras, and a “train the trainers” approach.</p>



<p>This equipped the San Martin Network to train their members on how to use GFW tools and identify deforestation alerts, and provided young network members with personalized training for data management and tools.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">GIS and monitoring unit ready to respond to environmental crimes</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Volunteers using a drone. Credit: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA also expanded its focus to continue to build capacity in forest custodian accreditation workshops, which include members of the Peruvian Amazon networks AMPA works with. This includes the formation of a Geographic Information System (GIS) and monitoring unit to monitor areas with GFW and remote sensing technology. The GIS and monitoring unit helped improve the verification of deforestation alerts and provide detailed information on the forest cover changes in the conservation areas.</p>



<p>Collaborating with technically capable monitoring brigades and forest custodians from the Peruvian Amazon networks strengthened AMPA’s ability to work directly with authorities to verify and respond to environmental crimes. The GIS and monitoring unit provided technical support in verification procedures to the authorities and prepared deforestation and field verification reports that were shared with Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the Regional Environmental Authority (ARA). These reports support legal and administrative complaints against those responsible for environmental crimes, such as illegal deforestation.</p>



<p>Ultimately, authorities from FEMA and ARA officially recognized AMPA’ reports, along with GLAD alerts and Planet and drone imagery, as official evidence of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Joint actions between AMPA’s GIS and monitoring unit, local actors and authorities helped strengthen and improve attention to environmental crimes with the active participation and involvement of local partners playing a key role. Due to the quality of reports submitted to FEMA on behalf of the San Martin Network, AMPA now has a formal inter-institutional agreement to assist the FEMA office in San Martin with collecting information on possible illegal deforestation using drones and Planet imagery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alliances with local authorities</h2>



<p>AMPA organized workshops with representatives of the institutions directly involved in addressing environmental crimes in the region, which included designing a unified process for representatives and partners to collect key information for investigations through technical procedures that integrated GFW data and tools. Additionally, AMPA provided trainings for FEMA and ARA members on how to best use the data and tools.</p>



<p>AMPA helped prosecutors and technicians obtain accreditation as operators of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, or drones) which strengthened their ability to conduct verifications. Furthermore, AMPA also supported monitoring and conservation partners to get accredited as RPAS operators, improving their ability to verify deforestation alerts in the areas they investigated, which in turn strengthened their reporting of forest-related crimes to authorities.</p>



<p>To share insights from their strategic approach for verifying and reporting crimes, AMPA developed a roadmap on integrating technology use and collaboration with local actors and authorities, including information on strategic alliances with different stakeholders (communities and local, regional and national governments).</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infographic_road-map-for-responding-environmental-crimes-using-glad-alerts-ampa-1024x724-1.png" alt="Infographic: Road map for responding to environmental crime" class="wp-image-16484"/></figure>



<p>This manual was created as part of the San Martin Network’s efforts to raise awareness and help address environmental crimes. They also shared this manual with partners on the platform of “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>Escuela</em> <em>Amazonía que Late</em></a>,” an initiative led by AMPA that brings together local communities, Indigenous Peoples, organized civil society and local governments, and other partners across various conservation initiatives in Peru to learn about strategies to protect its natural and cultural heritage.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Raising awareness of community forest monitoring efforts</h2>



<p>The surveillance and control system for forest monitoring developed by AMPA resulted in community advocacy efforts to raise awareness of environmental crimes within local, regional and national law enforcement authorities, including the prosecutor's office, to reduce illegal deforestation. AMPA’s reports based on the deforestation alerts <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">received media coverage</a> and not only caught the attention of authorities to identify offenders, but their complaints were raised to the prosecutor’s office. To date, two reports based on AMPA’s approach that were referred to the authorities have resulted in sentencing of those responsible for environmental crimes.</p>



<p>As part of their communication strategy, AMPA prepared press releases and audiovisual materials to feature the main activities of their project that were disseminated across local, regional and national media and partner websites. These communication efforts helped emphasize and highlight the role of AMPA’s participatory monitoring work and raise awareness among stakeholders of environmental crimes.</p>



<p>Additionally, AMPA has hosted meetings and workshops with public institutions responsible for forest management in Peru to explain their control and surveillance system. National and subnational government agencies have recognized AMPA as an important stakeholder in the conservation and management of forests in the San Martin region and in the Peruvian Amazon, and several additional national and regional government agencies have requested training and technical support from them.</p>



<p>“We’re proud of the renewal of the inter-institutional agreement with the Specialized Prosecution in Environmental Affairs (FEMA) and the interest of other donors to continue promoting and executing projects with forest monitoring components based on our experience in other regions,” said Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From deforestation alert to community action and beyond</h2>



<p>A key element of AMPA’s success is their approach to building partnerships with local communities and law enforcement authorities to use tools like GFW to verify deforestation and address environmental crimes, together. Today, AMPA continues their work within the network of community conservation concessions and local law enforcement to combat deforestation in San Martin. They are building off the momentum of their first successful collaboration with law enforcement and are working with forest monitors to continue participating in field visits with FEMA. Additionally, they are expanding their geographic reach and response to environmental crimes and are working with prosecutors from four provinces, including Loreto, Amazonas and two in San Martin.</p>



<p>AMPA‘s work continues to be recognized by regional and national authorities. Notably, their inter-institutional agreement with FEMA has been renewed, and they continue to work with strategic partners and allies to promote and execute forest monitoring projects in the region. They plan to build on capacity-strengthening efforts of local forest conservation associations through participatory implementation of surveillance systems and processes for their conservation initiatives. Furthermore, they will continue to provide technical support to FEMA and coordinate with authorities and local actors that are helping deliver justice for those affected by environmental crimes, and ultimately improve the lives of the communities that depend on forests.</p>



<p><em>To learn more about AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visit their website.</em></a></p>



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<p><em>“Somos parte de la naturaleza y la naturaleza vive en conjunto. Todo está interconectado y todo depende una cosa de otra,.. Si no trabajamos en una manera colaborativa y de manera vinculada, no vamos a poder seguir adelante.”</em> - Tatiana Espinosa, Presidenta ARBIO Perú ACOMAD – Madre De Dios, Integrante de la Red Amazonía Que Late</p>



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<p>En lo profundo del Amazonía Andina Peruana, los integrantes de la Red Conservación Voluntaria y Comunal de San Martín reciben una alerta de deforestación en <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/forest-watcher/">Forest Watcher</a>: el aplicativo de monitoreo forestal muestra una <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/integrated-deforestation-alerts/">alerta</a> que detecta una perturbación en un área monitoreada. Los voluntarios de la red se dirigen por diferentes medios (navegando en su peque – peque o moto, o interminables caminatas o a lomo de acémila) hasta las coordenadas y llegan a una zona que ha sido deforestada ilegalmente. Dentro de la aplicación Forest Watcher, documentan un informe y capturan evidencias del impacto. Los voluntarios de la red alertan a las autoridades locales que inician una investigación oficial.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Los guardianes del bosque en San Martín, Perú, utilizan diariamente los datos y tecnologías de Global Forest Watch (GFW), así como Forest Watcher, para monitorear los bosques, prevenir la deforestación y defender la biodiversidad. <a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Amazónicos por la Amazonía</a> (AMPA), una organización sin fines de lucro comprometida con la conservación del patrimonio natural y cultural del Perú y la mejora del desarrollo sostenible de los pueblos de la Amazonía andina, y receptora del Fondo de Pequeñas Subvenciones de GFW, trabaja con aliados como los titulares de concesiones de conservación del Red San Martín para monitorear y patrullar áreas forestales (las concesiones para conservación/ecoturismo son áreas de bosque público en las que se otorgan derechos legales de manejo a grupos como ONG como AMPA y sociedad civil organizada de las comunidades que voluntariamente vienen conservando los bosques).&nbsp;</p>



<p>AMPA trabaja con comunidades y autoridades locales para realizar acciones conjuntas para verificar la deforestación y generar conciencia sobre los delitos ambientales. Desde el 2017 monitorean activamente la pérdida de bosques en las regiones de San Martín, Loreto y Ucayali, un área que suma más de 900,00hectáreas. A través de este trabajo, brindaron a la red San Martín un espacio para conectarse y colaborar en la conservación de las tierras forestales que les fueron asignadas para su manejo y protección.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Aprovechar las herramientas de GFW para desarrollar la capacidad de monitoreo forestal</h2>



<p>AMPA ha recibido por cuatro oportunidades el <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/projects/">Fondo de Pequeñas Subvenciones</a> (SGF) de GFW, que brinda asistencia financiera y técnica a organizaciones para monitorear y responder a la deforestación. Sus proyectos tenían como objetivo combinar el conocimiento local con un uso más sólido de los datos y herramientas de GFW para mejorar la capacidad de respuesta y hacer incidencia sobre los delitos ambientales en la región de San Martín, en la Amazonia de Perú. Durante su proyecto, AMPA ha capacitado a los integrantes de la red de conservación de San Martin sobre cómo utilizar herramientas como los datos de GFW y la aplicación Forest Watcher.&nbsp;</p>



<p>La alianza de GFW con AMPA comenzó en 2017, durante su primer año como beneficiario del SGF. AMPA utilizó datos y herramientas de GFW para implementar un sistema de control y vigilancia dentro de las iniciativas de conservación en la Red San Martín.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Las asociaciones locales que protegen los bosques utilizan [GFW] como parte de sus sistemas de vigilancia y control, lo que les permite organizar patrullajes, recorridos e identificar áreas según el grado de amenaza y vulnerabilidad”, explicó Jorge Fachín, Director del Programa de Conservación y Monitoreo de AMPA.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Las herramientas y el equipo de monitoreo de GFW ayudan a AMPA a mejorar las actividades de monitoreo forestal de la red de conservación de San Martin al permitirles liderar patrullas de manera más fácil y rápida. El uso de los drones y las aplicaciones móviles como Forest Watcher los ayudan a recopilar información importante para llevar a cabo actividades de campo con las autoridades, recopilar la información y evidencia necesarias y generar informes de patrullaje.&nbsp;</p>



<p>En el transcurso de los diferentes proyectos del SGF, AMPA trabajó con redes de conservación de la Amazonia Peruana, que incluye a San Martín en, para utilizar las soluciones de GFW y desarrollar sus capacidades de monitoreo, evolucionando cada proyecto en función de las lecciones aprendidas de su trabajo anterior. Esto implicó el uso y gestión de alertas de deforestación y el desarrollo de habilidades para manejar GPS, drones y cámaras fotográficas, y un enfoque de “formación de formadores”. Esto equipó a la Red San Martín para capacitar a sus miembros sobre cómo utilizar las herramientas de GFW e identificar alertas de deforestación, y brindó a los miembros jóvenes de la red capacitación personalizada para la gestión de datos y herramientas.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Unidad de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo listos para la atención sobre delitos ambientales</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/AMPA_photo-2_resized.jpg" alt="Volunteers using a drone" class="wp-image-16483"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Crédito: AMPA.</figcaption></figure>



<p>AMPA también amplió su enfoque para continuar desarrollando capacidades en los talleres de acreditación de custodios forestales, que incluyen a los integrantes de las redes de la Amazonia peruana con las que trabaja AMPA, incluida la conformación de una unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo, que brinda soporte continuo para monitorear áreas con GFW, sensores remotos y tecnología.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo ayudaron a mejorar la verificación de las alertas de deforestación y proporcionar información detallada sobre los cambios en la cubierta forestal en las áreas de conservación.&nbsp;</p>



<p>La colaboración con brigadas de monitoreo con capacidad técnica y custodios forestales de las redes de la Amazonía peruana fortaleció la capacidad de AMPA para trabajar directamente con las autoridades para verificar y responder a los delitos ambientales. La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo brindaron soporte técnico en los procedimientos de verificación a las autoridades, elaboraron informes de deforestación y verificación de campo que fueron compartidos con la Fiscalía Especializada en Asuntos Ambientales (FEMA) y la Autoridad Ambiental Regional (ARA). Estos informes sustentan denuncias judiciales y administrativas contra los responsables de delitos ambientales, como la deforestación ilegal.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Finalmente, las autoridades de FEMA y ARA reconocieron oficialmente los informes de AMPA, junto con las alertas de GLAD, las imágenes&nbsp; Planet y las imágenes de drones como evidencia oficial de delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Las acciones conjuntas entre La unidad de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y monitoreo, los actores y autoridades locales ayudaron a fortalecer y mejorar la atención a los delitos ambientales, con la participación activa y el involucramiento de los socios locales jugando un papel clave. Debido a la calidad de los informes presentados a FEMA en nombre de la Red San Martín, AMPA ahora tiene un acuerdo de cooperación interinstitucional formal para coadyuvar a las fiscalías de la FEMA en San Martín a recopilar información sobre posible deforestación ilegal utilizando drones e imágenes de Planet.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Alianzas con autoridades locales</h2>



<p>AMPA organizó talleres y mesas de trabajo con representantes de las instituciones directamente involucradas en abordar los delitos ambientales en la región, que incluyeron el diseño de un formato unificado para que representantes y socios recopilen información clave para las investigaciones a través de procedimientos técnicos que integraron datos y herramientas de GFW. Además, AMPA brindó capacitación a los miembros de Fiscalia Especializada en Materia Ambienta (FEMA) y la Autoridad Regional Ambiental (ARA sobre cómo utilizar mejor los datos y las herramientas.&nbsp;</p>



<p>AMPA ayudó a fiscales y técnicos a obtener la acreditación como operadores de sistemas de aeronaves pilotadas a distancia (RPAS o drones), lo que fortaleció su capacidad para realizar verificaciones. Además, AMPA también apoyó a los socios de monitoreo y conservación para obtener la acreditación como operadores de RPAS, mejorando su capacidad para verificar las alertas de deforestación en las áreas que investigaron, lo que a su vez fortaleció su presentación de delitos relacionados con los bosques ante las autoridades.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Para compartir conocimientos de su enfoque estratégico para verificar y denunciar delitos, AMPA desarrolló una hoja de ruta sobre la integración del uso de la tecnología y la colaboración con actores y autoridades locales, incluida información sobre alianzas estratégicas con diferentes partes interesadas (comunidades y gobiernos locales, regionales y nacionales).&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/infografia_ruta-de-atencion-a-delitos-ambientales-usando-alertas-glad-ampa-1024x724-1.jpeg" alt="Infografia: Ruta de atencion a delitos amientales" class="wp-image-16495"/></figure>



<p>Este manual fue creado como parte de los esfuerzos de la Red San Martín para crear conciencia y ayudar a abordar los delitos ambientales. También compartieron este manual en la plataforma de la “<a href="https://www.amazoniaquelate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Escuela Amazonía que Late</a>”, una iniciativa liderada por AMPA, y que fue diseñada para las comunidades locales, pueblos indígenas, sociedad civil organizada y gobiernos locales, y otros socios de varias iniciativas de conservación en Perú para aprender sobre estrategias para proteger su patrimonio natural y cultural.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Crear conciencia sobre los esfuerzos de monitoreo forestal comunitario</h2>



<p>El sistema de vigilancia y control para el monitoreo forestal desarrollado por AMPA dio como resultado esfuerzos de promoción comunitaria para crear conciencia sobre los delitos ambientales dentro de las autoridades policiales locales, regionales y nacionales, incluida la fiscalía, para reducir la deforestación ilegal. Los informes del AMPA basados en las alertas de deforestación <a href="https://diariovoces.com.pe/197474/fiscalia-ambiental-de-alto-amazonas-reforzara-acciones-de-control-y-vigilancia?fbclid=IwAR3QvgpG4hFv62o7gpVVntlM7RzPtfA_3KrwUAVp-BxbsIxq50qF-4Tdfuo" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">recibieron cobertura mediática</a> y no sólo llamaron la atención de las autoridades para identificar a los infractores, sino que sus denuncias fueron elevadas a la fiscalía. Hasta el momento, dos informes que se derivaron a las autoridades competentes y que contiene el enfoque de AMPA han resultado en sentencias contra los responsables de los delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Como parte de su estrategia de comunicación, AMPA preparó comunicados de prensa y materiales audiovisuales para presentar las principales actividades de su proyecto que se difundieron en los medios locales, regionales y nacionales y en los sitios web de los socios. Estos esfuerzos de comunicación ayudaron a enfatizar y resaltar el papel del trabajo de monitoreo participativo de AMPA y crear conciencia entre las partes interesadas sobre los delitos ambientales.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Además, AMPA ha organizado reuniones y talleres con instituciones públicas responsables del manejo forestal en Perú para explicar su sistema de control y vigilancia. Las agencias gubernamentales nacionales y subnacionales han reconocido al AMPA como un actor importante en la conservación y el manejo de los bosques en la región de San Martín y en la Amazonía peruana, y varias agencias gubernamentales nacionales y regionales adicionales les han solicitado capacitación y apoyo técnico.&nbsp;</p>



<p>“Estamos orgullosos de la renovación del convenio interinstitucional con la Fiscalía Especializada en Asuntos Ambientales (FEMA) y del interés de otros donantes de seguir impulsando y ejecutando proyectos con componentes de monitoreo forestal basados en nuestra experiencia en otras regiones”, dijo Jorge Fachín.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">De la alerta de deforestación a la acción comunitaria y más allá</h2>



<p>Un elemento clave del éxito de AMPA es su enfoque para generar alianzas con comunidades locales y autoridades encargadas de hacer cumplir la ley para utilizar herramientas como GFW para verificar la deforestación y abordar los delitos ambientales, juntos. Hoy, AMPA continúa su trabajo dentro de la red de concesiones de conservación comunitaria y aplicación de la ley local para combatir la deforestación en San Martín. Están aprovechando el impulso de su primera colaboración exitosa con las autoridades y están trabajando con monitores forestales para continuar participando en visitas de campo con FEMA. Además, están ampliando su alcance geográfico y su respuesta para la atención a los delitos ambientales y están trabajando con fiscalías de cuatro regiones, incluidas Loreto, Amazonas y dos de San Martín.&nbsp;</p>



<p>El trabajo de AMPA sigue siendo reconocido por las autoridades regionales y nacionales. Cabe destacar que han renovado su acuerdo interinstitucional con FEMA y continúan trabajando con socios y aliados estratégicos para promover y ejecutar proyectos de monitoreo forestal en la región. Planean aprovechar los esfuerzos de fortalecimiento de capacidades de las asociaciones locales que conservan los bosques mediante la implementación participativa de sistemas y procesos de vigilancia para sus iniciativas de conservación. Además, continuarán brindando apoyo técnico a FEMA y coordinando con autoridades y actores locales que están ayudando a impartir justicia a los afectados por delitos ambientales contribuyendo de esta manera a la mejorar las vidas de las comunidades que dependen de los bosques.&nbsp;</p>



<p><em>Para obtener más información sobre AMPA, </em><a href="https://ampaperu.info/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><em>visite su página web</em></a><em>.</em></p>



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Guardianes del bosque en acción: Amazónicos por la Amazonía abordan los delitos ambientales con GFW

GFW Small Grants Fund recipient AMPA is working with communities and authorities to to verify and raise awareness of environmental crimes.

AMPA Tackles Environmental Crimes with GFW | GFW Blog

indigenous peoples

indigenous peoples | Global Forest Watch Blog

Katie Reytar

Jessica Webb

Peter Veit

<p>The Saamaka, an Afro-descendent tribal community, reside deep in the heart of Suriname’s Amazonian rainforest. They’ve maintained their plots of land and small farms for generations, relying on the bounty of fruits, nuts and medicines the surrounding tropical forest provides. &nbsp;</p>



<p>But lately, their forested territory has seen unwelcome visitors.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A logging company began bulldozing a road right through the Saamaka’s forest in early 2023. While the Suriname government sanctioned the logging concession, it came without the Saamaka’s consent, despite a 2007 ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights requiring their approval for such projects. The road is just the latest threat facing the Saamaka’s land, on top of flooding from hydropower dams and water pollution from nearby mining operations. &nbsp;</p>



<p>&nbsp;“We are losing our very way of life — our food, our water, our land,” said Hugo Jabini, a community leader and spokesperson for the Saamaka. “We can no longer afford to be invisible.”</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="455" height="342" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HugoPPT3.jpg" alt="Saamaka leader Hugo Jabini leads a kuutu, a meeting of Saamakan communities." class="wp-image-16456"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hugo Jabini leads a kuutu, a meeting of Saamakan communities.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>The Saamaka’s story is a common one. Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold some of the most pristine and resource-rich lands in the world — areas highly coveted by mining and logging companies and other profiteers.&nbsp; Land grabs and other threats are especially severe in places where the government does not recognize communities’ land rights, or where anti-deforestation and other laws are weak or poorly enforced. It’s the reason many Indigenous Peoples and local communities often take land monitoring into their own hands — and some are now using digital tools to do it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Freely available satellite imagery and data from sites like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/">Global Forest Watch</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.landmarkmap.org/data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LandMark</a>&nbsp;provide near-real-time information that tracks deforestation and land degradation. Indigenous and local communities are increasingly using tools like this to gather evidence that deforestation and degradation are happening on their lands, build their case against illegal activities and take legal action to prevent it from continuing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Three examples from Suriname, Indonesia and Peru illustrate a growing trend in fighting land rights violations with data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Suriname, Deforestation Data Reveals Threats to the Saamaka’s Land Rights &nbsp;</h2>



<p>In 2007, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights compelled the government of Suriname to recognize the traditional land rights of the Saamaka and other Indigenous and community groups in Suriname. &nbsp;Yet satellite data from Global Forest Watch shows that since the judgment in 2007, tree cover loss actually increased in the Saamaka’s lands, largely from logging and mining activities. Tree cover loss inside government-granted logging concessions in and surrounding the Saamaka territory totaled 44,700 hectares, a 5.5% loss in tree cover from 2001-2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<div class="flourish-embed flourish-chart" data-src="visualisation/15824378?240776"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div>



<p>Monthly satellite images from March 2023 to October 2023 show the gradual construction of a road being carved through the heart of the Saamaka territory and leading to a government-granted logging concession. The Saamaka say the road was constructed without their knowledge or consent.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1226" height="531" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Suriname-logging-road.gif" alt="Gif of road construction progress through the Saamaka’s forested territory. March-October 2023" class="wp-image-16455"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Road construction progresses through the Saamaka’s forested territory. Source: Planet imagery on Global Forest Watch.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Armed with this data and imagery, Jabini and seven other representatives from Suriname’s Indigenous and local communities traveled more than 2,500 miles to Washington, D.C., presenting their evidence to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in November 2023. Jabini hopes the commission will reopen its court case against the Suriname government to strengthen traditional land rights.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We are not here to fight the government; we are just fighting for our rights,” Jabini said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Indonesia, Indigenous Peoples Use Satellite Data to Track and Report Illegal Timber &nbsp;</h2>



<p>In the eastern-most edges of Indonesia lies an archipelago of 832 islands containing some of the country’s most pristine remaining rainforests. The Aru Islands are home to more than 60,000 Indigenous Aruese, who speak 14 different tribal languages. Their lives are deeply intertwined with the forests they call home, hunting deer, harvesting tree gum, and maintaining a strong spiritual connection with the forests believed to harbor the souls of their ancestors.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="965" height="651" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/aru-islands-2.jpg" alt="Indonesia’s Aru Islands" class="wp-image-16458" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/aru-islands-2.jpg 965w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/aru-islands-2-768x518.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 965px) 100vw, 965px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indonesia’s Aru Islands hold some of the country’s most pristine rainforests and are home to more than 60,000 Indigenous Aruese. Photo by Forest Watch Indonesia.</figcaption></figure>



<p>As forests in more easily accessible areas of Indonesia such as Java and Borneo have been cleared, increasing pressure for valuable timber species and land for growing crops like sugar has reached the shores of the Aru Islands. Aru Indigenous Peoples and&nbsp;<a href="https://fwi.or.id/en/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI),</a>&nbsp;a civil society organization, have been working together to monitor, document and halt illegal logging using satellite data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/early-warning-systems-for-deforestation-an-explainer/">deforestation alerts</a>&nbsp;from Global Forest Watch, FWI conducts desk analyses to identify priority locations for forest monitoring. They train Aru Forest Monitors on how to navigate to areas of forest where satellites detected recent clearings, using the&nbsp;<a href="https://forestwatcher.globalforestwatch.org/">Forest Watcher mobile app</a>. They also document evidence of deforestation with the app by taking photos and recording written or audio observations of the causes of the clearing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Forest Monitors then continually track the extraction of timber from these deforestation sites, oftentimes following the wood to local ports, photographing identifiable information of ships containing illegally harvested timber, and transmitting this information to FWI. The organization then synthesizes the information and passes it to Indonesian authorities, who can then intercept the ships when they dock in Java before reaching international waters. In February 2019, the evidence that Indigenous Forest Monitors documented prompted the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry to seize 38 containers of illegally harvested timber. High-profile examples like this can serve as a deterrent for future illegal logging.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indigenous Communities in Peru Deploy Technology to Reduce Illegal Deforestation and Strengthen Land Rights</h2>



<p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/indigenous-forest-monitors-reduce-deforestation/">two-year study</a>&nbsp;in the Northeastern Amazon region of Peru found that communities who used satellite-based forest monitoring technologies and data significantly reduced deforestation on their lands.</p>



<p>Equipped with deforestation alerts accessed from Forest Watcher and Global Forest Watch, forest monitors representing 36 local communities patrolled their ancestral lands. They documented evidence of encroachment from illicit coca plantations and illegal logging, using satellite imagery, photos, written documentation and drone footage. The monitors presented this information in community assemblies to collectively determine what action to take. Depending on the situation, they then either asked the invaders to leave by showing evidence that they had crossed over into community lands, or submitted documentation to Peruvian law enforcement, who then followed up with official field investigations.&nbsp;</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="455" height="607" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/p_paisa_20150105_113737-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16459"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation. Photo by Beder Olortegui.</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Ultimately, the communities that used forest monitoring technologies reduced deforestation in their territories by 52% in the first year and an additional 21% in the second year, as compared to a similar number of communities in a control group. The communities using monitoring technologies also reported higher satisfaction with forest governance.</p>



<p>Since the study concluded, communities with experience using monitoring technologies are now training communities in the control group to do the same. The communities who succeeded in reducing deforestation have also received direct payments from the&nbsp;<a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/our-work/approaches/rainforest-alert/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Rainforest Foundation US’s Rainforest Alert program</a>, a payment system for keeping forests conserved.</p>



<p>Most recently, some communities allocated that funding towards strengthening and expanding legal recognition of their ancestral lands. Community land titling in Peru is a slow and bureaucratic process. With the funds, communities were able to georeference the limits of their lands; contract soil analysts, lawyers and Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists; and petition the government for land titles. They succeeded in obtaining titles to their territories in just 10 months – a process that normally takes years or even decades.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Data Supports Communities, but More Secure Land Rights Are Essential&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Satellite data and imagery are critical tools because they provide transparent, independent evidence of suspected violations. They allow communities to rapidly monitor and document forest disturbances over large areas and long periods of time at low cost, thus reducing expensive field patrols. Moreover, much of the monitoring and documentation can be done remotely from the safety of a laptop, without risking face-to-face confrontation with encroachers. This is especially important because environmental defenders face growing threats. In 2022, at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/standing-firm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">177 environmental defenders were killed</a>, 36% of whom were Indigenous.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Given the power of satellite data to help communities protect their land rights, data creators and managers need to ensure that communities continue to have access to open data and technology. Communities also need support in data use, including tailored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/about/">training resources</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">financial support</a>&nbsp;and facilitating the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/map/webinars/webinar-strengthening-the-role-of-indigenous-youth-in-forest-protection-perspectives-from-latin-america/">sharing of experiences</a>.</p>



<p>However, while satellite data helps communities document and take action on illegal deforestation and related infractions, governments ultimately need to recognize and enforce Indigenous Peoples’ and communities’ land rights. Stronger and more secure land rights — with higher penalties for infractions — are more likely to deter illegal activity from occurring in the first place, or at least ensure a swift and decisive end to violations.</p>



<p>Indigenous Peoples and local communities have stewarded their lands and natural resources for centuries. Though more secure land rights are ultimately needed, satellite data can help them manage threats to their lands now and conserve their homes for generations to come.</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/indigenous-peoples-local-communities-use-satellite-data-deforestation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
 

</div> 

 

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Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Are Using Satellite Data to Fight Deforestation

<p>The Saamaka, an Afro-descendent tribal community, reside deep in the heart of Suriname’s Amazonian rainforest. They’ve maintained their plots of land and small farms for generations, relying on the bounty of fruits, nuts and medicines the surrounding tropical forest provides. &nbsp;</p>



<p>But lately, their forested territory has seen unwelcome visitors.&nbsp;</p>



<p>A logging company began bulldozing a road right through the Saamaka’s forest in early 2023. While the Suriname government sanctioned the logging concession, it came without the Saamaka’s consent, despite a 2007 ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights requiring their approval for such projects. The road is just the latest threat facing the Saamaka’s land, on top of flooding from hydropower dams and water pollution from nearby mining operations. &nbsp;</p>



<p>&nbsp;“We are losing our very way of life — our food, our water, our land,” said Hugo Jabini, a community leader and spokesperson for the Saamaka. “We can no longer afford to be invisible.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HugoPPT3.jpg" alt="Saamaka leader Hugo Jabini leads a kuutu, a meeting of Saamakan communities." class="wp-image-16456"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hugo Jabini leads a kuutu, a meeting of Saamakan communities.&nbsp;</figcaption></figure>



<p>The Saamaka’s story is a common one. Indigenous Peoples and local communities hold some of the most pristine and resource-rich lands in the world — areas highly coveted by mining and logging companies and other profiteers.&nbsp; Land grabs and other threats are especially severe in places where the government does not recognize communities’ land rights, or where anti-deforestation and other laws are weak or poorly enforced. It’s the reason many Indigenous Peoples and local communities often take land monitoring into their own hands — and some are now using digital tools to do it.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Freely available satellite imagery and data from sites like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/">Global Forest Watch</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.landmarkmap.org/data/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LandMark</a>&nbsp;provide near-real-time information that tracks deforestation and land degradation. Indigenous and local communities are increasingly using tools like this to gather evidence that deforestation and degradation are happening on their lands, build their case against illegal activities and take legal action to prevent it from continuing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Three examples from Suriname, Indonesia and Peru illustrate a growing trend in fighting land rights violations with data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Suriname, Deforestation Data Reveals Threats to the Saamaka’s Land Rights &nbsp;</h2>



<p>In 2007, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights compelled the government of Suriname to recognize the traditional land rights of the Saamaka and other Indigenous and community groups in Suriname. &nbsp;Yet satellite data from Global Forest Watch shows that since the judgment in 2007, tree cover loss actually increased in the Saamaka’s lands, largely from logging and mining activities. Tree cover loss inside government-granted logging concessions in and surrounding the Saamaka territory totaled 44,700 hectares, a 5.5% loss in tree cover from 2001-2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<div class="flourish-embed flourish-chart" data-src="visualisation/15824378?240776"><script src="https://public.flourish.studio/resources/embed.js"></script></div>



<p>Monthly satellite images from March 2023 to October 2023 show the gradual construction of a road being carved through the heart of the Saamaka territory and leading to a government-granted logging concession. The Saamaka say the road was constructed without their knowledge or consent.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Suriname-logging-road.gif" alt="Gif of road construction progress through the Saamaka’s forested territory. March-October 2023" class="wp-image-16455"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Road construction progresses through the Saamaka’s forested territory. Source: Planet imagery on Global Forest Watch.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Armed with this data and imagery, Jabini and seven other representatives from Suriname’s Indigenous and local communities traveled more than 2,500 miles to Washington, D.C., presenting their evidence to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in November 2023. Jabini hopes the commission will reopen its court case against the Suriname government to strengthen traditional land rights.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>“We are not here to fight the government; we are just fighting for our rights,” Jabini said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">In Indonesia, Indigenous Peoples Use Satellite Data to Track and Report Illegal Timber &nbsp;</h2>



<p>In the eastern-most edges of Indonesia lies an archipelago of 832 islands containing some of the country’s most pristine remaining rainforests. The Aru Islands are home to more than 60,000 Indigenous Aruese, who speak 14 different tribal languages. Their lives are deeply intertwined with the forests they call home, hunting deer, harvesting tree gum, and maintaining a strong spiritual connection with the forests believed to harbor the souls of their ancestors.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/aru-islands-2.jpg" alt="Indonesia’s Aru Islands" class="wp-image-16458"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Indonesia’s Aru Islands hold some of the country’s most pristine rainforests and are home to more than 60,000 Indigenous Aruese. Photo by Forest Watch Indonesia.</figcaption></figure>



<p>As forests in more easily accessible areas of Indonesia such as Java and Borneo have been cleared, increasing pressure for valuable timber species and land for growing crops like sugar has reached the shores of the Aru Islands. Aru Indigenous Peoples and&nbsp;<a href="https://fwi.or.id/en/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Forest Watch Indonesia (FWI),</a>&nbsp;a civil society organization, have been working together to monitor, document and halt illegal logging using satellite data.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Using&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/data-and-research/early-warning-systems-for-deforestation-an-explainer/">deforestation alerts</a>&nbsp;from Global Forest Watch, FWI conducts desk analyses to identify priority locations for forest monitoring. They train Aru Forest Monitors on how to navigate to areas of forest where satellites detected recent clearings, using the&nbsp;<a href="https://forestwatcher.globalforestwatch.org/">Forest Watcher mobile app</a>. They also document evidence of deforestation with the app by taking photos and recording written or audio observations of the causes of the clearing.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Forest Monitors then continually track the extraction of timber from these deforestation sites, oftentimes following the wood to local ports, photographing identifiable information of ships containing illegally harvested timber, and transmitting this information to FWI. The organization then synthesizes the information and passes it to Indonesian authorities, who can then intercept the ships when they dock in Java before reaching international waters. In February 2019, the evidence that Indigenous Forest Monitors documented prompted the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry to seize 38 containers of illegally harvested timber. High-profile examples like this can serve as a deterrent for future illegal logging.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indigenous Communities in Peru Deploy Technology to Reduce Illegal Deforestation and Strengthen Land Rights</h2>



<p>A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/blog/people/indigenous-forest-monitors-reduce-deforestation/">two-year study</a>&nbsp;in the Northeastern Amazon region of Peru found that communities who used satellite-based forest monitoring technologies and data significantly reduced deforestation on their lands.</p>



<p>Equipped with deforestation alerts accessed from Forest Watcher and Global Forest Watch, forest monitors representing 36 local communities patrolled their ancestral lands. They documented evidence of encroachment from illicit coca plantations and illegal logging, using satellite imagery, photos, written documentation and drone footage. The monitors presented this information in community assemblies to collectively determine what action to take. Depending on the situation, they then either asked the invaders to leave by showing evidence that they had crossed over into community lands, or submitted documentation to Peruvian law enforcement, who then followed up with official field investigations.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-full"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/p_paisa_20150105_113737-scaled-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16459"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A community monitor in Remanso del Amazonas identifies early warning signs of deforestation. Photo by Beder Olortegui.</figcaption></figure>



<p>Ultimately, the communities that used forest monitoring technologies reduced deforestation in their territories by 52% in the first year and an additional 21% in the second year, as compared to a similar number of communities in a control group. The communities using monitoring technologies also reported higher satisfaction with forest governance.</p>



<p>Since the study concluded, communities with experience using monitoring technologies are now training communities in the control group to do the same. The communities who succeeded in reducing deforestation have also received direct payments from the&nbsp;<a href="https://rainforestfoundation.org/our-work/approaches/rainforest-alert/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Rainforest Foundation US’s Rainforest Alert program</a>, a payment system for keeping forests conserved.</p>



<p>Most recently, some communities allocated that funding towards strengthening and expanding legal recognition of their ancestral lands. Community land titling in Peru is a slow and bureaucratic process. With the funds, communities were able to georeference the limits of their lands; contract soil analysts, lawyers and Geographic Information System (GIS) specialists; and petition the government for land titles. They succeeded in obtaining titles to their territories in just 10 months – a process that normally takes years or even decades.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Open Data Supports Communities, but More Secure Land Rights Are Essential&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Satellite data and imagery are critical tools because they provide transparent, independent evidence of suspected violations. They allow communities to rapidly monitor and document forest disturbances over large areas and long periods of time at low cost, thus reducing expensive field patrols. Moreover, much of the monitoring and documentation can be done remotely from the safety of a laptop, without risking face-to-face confrontation with encroachers. This is especially important because environmental defenders face growing threats. In 2022, at least&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/standing-firm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">177 environmental defenders were killed</a>, 36% of whom were Indigenous.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Given the power of satellite data to help communities protect their land rights, data creators and managers need to ensure that communities continue to have access to open data and technology. Communities also need support in data use, including tailored&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/about/">training resources</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/grants-and-fellowships/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">financial support</a>&nbsp;and facilitating the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/map/webinars/webinar-strengthening-the-role-of-indigenous-youth-in-forest-protection-perspectives-from-latin-america/">sharing of experiences</a>.</p>



<p>However, while satellite data helps communities document and take action on illegal deforestation and related infractions, governments ultimately need to recognize and enforce Indigenous Peoples’ and communities’ land rights. Stronger and more secure land rights — with higher penalties for infractions — are more likely to deter illegal activity from occurring in the first place, or at least ensure a swift and decisive end to violations.</p>



<p>Indigenous Peoples and local communities have stewarded their lands and natural resources for centuries. Though more secure land rights are ultimately needed, satellite data can help them manage threats to their lands now and conserve their homes for generations to come.</p>



<hr> 

<div class="attribute" style="”padding-bottom:" 10px;”="">
 

Originally appeared on <a href="https://www.wri.org/insights/indigenous-peoples-local-communities-use-satellite-data-deforestation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WRI Insights</a>. 
 

</div> 

 

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