By Bibiana Alcântara Garrido*
Leaders from 62 indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Amazon, representing the nine states of the region, took part in the “Course on Climate Change, Carbon and REDD+ in the Indigenous Amazon” and are now multipliers of the knowledge acquired, to spread the information in their villages and with their grassroots organizations.
The aim is to strengthen indigenous peoples in their demands for a voice in climate discussions and decisions in Brazil and around the world, as well as to provide the basis for access to benefits due to their historic contribution to climate balance and the protection of socio-biodiversity.
The training began in the second half of 2023 and concluded on the 16th, organized by COIAB (Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon) and IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute), with support from the Fund for the Defense of Nature (EDF) and the Voices for Fair Climate Action (VAC) program.
“The course is the result of a meeting we held at the beginning of last year to understand what the information gaps were. As much as climate change is a hot topic, the debate still doesn’t reach the places where it needs to. Together with leaders, young people, as well as communicators and the network of indigenous lawyers, we identified the need to discuss the REDD+ mechanism and its risks in greater depth, for example,” explains Martha Fellows, coordinator of IPAM’s indigenous studies center.
With three face-to-face cycles in villages in Roraima, Acre and Pará, each module of the course brought together leaders and representatives of peoples from different Amazonian states. The third stage took place in the village of Vista Alegre do Capixauã, in the region of Santarém, Pará. In all, the initiative brought together representatives from 81 indigenous lands and 38 organizations.
“Carrying out training in the territories is a form of resistance, as well as providing moments of exchange between relatives. We already know that the cause of climate change is linked to fossil fuels, fires and deforestation. Based on the leaders’ perceptions, we are identifying the consequences of these climate changes, such as the drying up of rivers, the death of fish, a greater spread of fires and, above all, more diseases in the territories,” says Gracinha Manchineri, manager of political-pedagogical training at CAFI (COIAB’s Amazon Center for Indigenous Training).
Drought
The impacts of the drought caused the course to be postponed in the village of Vista Alegre do Capixauã. During periods of common drought, the water in the Anumã lake, formed by the Tapajós river in front of the village, used to move a little away from the houses, but it didn’t prevent smaller boats from passing through. This time, the lake dried up as far as the river entrance, kilometers away.
“There was no way I could walk for hours and hours on the sand, carrying heavy loads, under the sun, until I reached the village. It was supposed to start raining in October, and the course was supposed to start in November, but we had to wait until January to be able to cross again,” says Irenilse Kumaruara, cacica from Vista Alegre.
Repairs
“The elders had already been warning us about these problems. Now there is a need for reparation, after all, climate change was not caused by indigenous peoples, but by a process external to the territories. We are faced with the challenge of identifying what can be done to repair these territories, so one of the main demands of the leaders today is to guarantee the participation of indigenous peoples in the discussions,” adds the CAFI manager.
To continue the actions, COIAB will draw up an indigenous peoples’ action plan for climate justice based on the content discussed in the training and research carried out in the villages.
*Science journalist at IPAM, bibiana.garrido@ipam.org.br
Cover: Training brought together representatives from indigenous lands in Roraima, Acre and Pará (Photo: Bibiana Garrido/IPAM)
