IPAM offers courses in Territorial Monitoring and Communication at IT Krikati

16 de June de 2025 | News

Jun 16, 2025 | News

By Sara Leal*

37 indigenous people from the Krikati territory, in the state of Maranhão, took part in two training sessions held by IPAM (Amazon Environmental Research Institute) and Woodwell Climate Research Center in June.

Women from the volunteer brigade of the Krikati indigenous land, representing four villages, received the Basic GIS Course (Geographic Information System) – Mapping Burned Areas and Restoration to improve the firefighting and prevention work they already do.

The training combines the indigenous women’s traditional knowledge with geospatial database technology, which makes it easier to draw up maps for monitoring the territory. It also supports the goals set out in Maranhão’s PPCDQ (Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Burning), contributing to the implementation of a plan for the prevention and control of forest fires in the state.

“The aim is to strengthen the volunteer brigades and their work in the territory, recognizing them as a fundamental part of fire management and governance in the region. With the course, the brigade members will have more autonomy and freedom to understand the dynamics of the indigenous land and achieve their goals,” explains Alicia de Almeida, a research analyst at IPAM and one of the facilitators.

To continue the training, equipment such as cell phones, a computer with the necessary programs for monitoring installed, and two external hard drives were donated.

According to Vilma Hajacreh Krikati, from Ronhyh village and a member of the volunteer women’s brigade, the group was created in 2018. “There were a lot of fires in our area and the official brigade alone wasn’t enough. We realized that the region depended on our strength, so we joined them.”

Zilma Xu’capric Krikati, from Cyypej village, is a volunteer in the women’s brigade as an environmental educator. “It was interesting to learn how to map our territory. This will help us with our work, we can’t stop,” she says.

Echoing the message

The Basic Communication Workshop – Echoing the Message was held for indigenous representatives from 16 Krikati villages.

“Over three days we showed them some basic techniques for making news and editing videos so that they could best convey all the culture and knowledge of the territory that they already have. In the end, they were able to develop great material,” says Maria Garcia, IPAM’s communications analyst and one of the course facilitators.

Saulo Jaaco Krikati, from the São José village, is one of the communicators from the region who took part in the training. “It was very interesting to get together with people from other villages. This kind of course is very important for us, especially young people, who capture and record our stories.”

“I enjoyed doing it in practice. It’s important for us to learn how to film our traditions ourselves and show our people that we are capable of spreading the word so that white people also get to know our culture”, says Joseane Cohmxi Krikati, from São José Village.

The communication course was made possible by the Proteja initiative, through the Proteja Educa Program, which aims to provide training and tools for indigenous peoples and traditional communities to disseminate their knowledge and expose their reality.

*Communications Coordinator



This project is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Find out more at un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals.

Veja também

See also