[Continued from the October 2009 newsletter from ACT]
In September, upon the tribe's request, ACT commenced work with the Kaxuyana people of the northern Brazilian Amazon to map millions of acres of their traditional lands. Additional regional groups participating in the project include the Wayana, Wai-Wai and Txikiyana. On-the-ground work was officially initiated on September 25th in the Santidade Village in Pará state.
With GPS handhelds to record waypoints, indigenous researchers are traversing these lands largely on foot and by river. Data collected is uploaded to the laptops of ACT technicians and cartographers, who digitally insert the information into rough maps and subsequently present drafts for revision by the indigenous researchers. Beyond natural features, the maps identify traditional hunting and fishing and other resources areas, areas of potential risk, and culturally sacred sites.
Capacity building topics for the indigenous researchers include utilization and interpretation of satellite data; identification of areas of importance; assessment of risks and threats; confirmation of specific locations using hand-held GPS units; and direct involvement in the legal process.
Once completed, the maps will serve as the basis for land management plans developed by the regional indigenous groups. Both the maps and the plans will enable the Kaxuyana and their neighbors to more effectively monitor their traditional borders against illegal incursions and report such encroachments to state environmental enforcement agencies.
ACT previously worked withed Kaxuyana groups to ethnographically map the adjacent 10-million-acre Tumucumaque Indigenous Park, and Kaxuyana representatives have been trained through ACT's Indigenous Park Guard Training Course, a program certified by the International Ranger Federation.
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