Erteco’s support makes possible a project in the world’s largest contiguous protected tropical rainforest area — the Karib Corridor. The area covers two thirds of Sweden’s land mass and is located in the northern part of the Brazilian Amazon. The project strengthens a number of indigenous Karib tribes so they can develop according to their needs and resist actors who want their natural resources.
There are around a hundred indigenous villages in Karib. From the air each village shows up as a small spot surrounded by an endless green sea of rainforest. The indigenous peoples have small farms close to the village, while hunting, fishing and various cultural uses of the land happen further afield. Indigenous peoples are the best protectors of the forest; aware, organised communities act as incorruptible guardians of what has long been their land. They are weakened after the tragedy of contact with white society, where up to 90% of the people in each tribe died of disease. The old organisational form with tribal elders works poorly in the modern era and in contact with the wider society.
The project has three main components:
- Strengthening indigenous organisations — everything from training young people in basic association management (e.g. computer skills) to training indigenous leaders in project management, preparation for meetings with authorities and network building between the Karib tribes.
- Protecting and managing the enormous territory is a large responsibility for the indigenous peoples. The project includes producing natural-resource-management plans for each village, training environmental monitors and patrolling/surveillance.
- Engaging the surrounding municipalities — with tens of thousands of inhabitants — so that indigenous land is respected. This is achieved by, among other things, developing an environmental pilot in one particularly important municipality (a plan that incorporates parts of indigenous natural-resource-management plans), enabling effective indigenous participation in relevant municipal councils, and mapping the indigenous land’s ecosystem services to the municipality, such as a steady water supply.
More information about the Karib project:
- Latest news on the Karib Corridor — an important environmental victory
- More info on the Karib Corridor
- “Interview with our largest donor”, April 2019, Rainforest Foundation Sweden (PDF)
