OPIRJ Territorial Management

Organization of Indigenous People of the Juruá River (OPIRJ)

Código do projeto: 6148524

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Total project value: R$ 33,661,383.00
Total support amount: US$ 6,845,779.62

organization type: Third Sector

Themes: Indigenous people

Location: Acre

Axises: Land use planning

Contracted

Topo

Topo

Presentation

Objective

Promoting integrated territorial and environmental management of the Indigenous Lands of the Juruá River, through the development of a network of indigenous organisations connected to the Organisation of Indigenous People of the Juruá River (OPIRJ), generating better living conditions, food security, appreciation of the Indigenous communities’ culture and traditions and forest protection

Beneficiary

14 Indigenous populations who inhabit 13 Indigenous Lands in the Alto Juruá region

Territorial scope

14 Indigenous populations who inhabit 13 Indigenous Lands in the Alto Juruá region

Description

CONTEXTUALIZATION

The PPCDAm is an instrument of the Federal Government, in cooperation with civil society and academy, it consolidates experiences since 2004 and is a guideline for the Amazon Fund. The report of the 5^th phase (2023-2027), published in June/2023, informs that “only 2% of deforestation in the Amazon Region in 2022 happened on Indigenous lands, even though it corresponds to 23% of the total area of the Legal Amazon. This data demonstrates the capacity of Indigenous people to act as effective protectors of the forest. In spite of being relatively small, deforestation on Indigenous Land is a major concern, due to its enormous social impact”.

The Alto Juruá region, in the state of Acre, is a border area with Peru and has been experiencing increasing pressure on its natural resources. The opening of new roads, within the limits of the Indigenous lands involved in the project, facilitates occupation and transportation, increasing incidents of invasion for illegal hunting and fishing, as well as the illegal extraction and disposal of other forest resources, especially wood.

These issues increase the vulnerability of the Indigenous people in the region, due to greater contact with non-Indigenous people, causing a weakening of their culture and traditions, and enhancing social and health problems. Also, with the increase of Indigenous populations in villages, sustainability challenges for food security and the preservation of a dignified way of life are part of the larger picture.

THE PROJECT

In order to contribute and implement an Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm) and the National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Land (PNGATI), the OPIRJ Territorial Management project will implement previously successful territorial protection strategies in regional scale.

The proposed actions result from the leading role of the Indigenous people of the Alto Juruá region searching for solutions to protect the forest, through the strengthening of the indigenous agenda and integrated territorial protection strategies, acting as a network, in a coordinated manner, in 13 Indigenous Lands in the area. These lands total 640 thousand hectares – an area larger than the Federal District – where more than 11 thousand Indigenous people from 14 tribes live. These people are represented by OPIRJ – the Organisation of Indigenous People of the Juruá River. This is yet another project supported by the Amazon Fund, carried out directly by indigenous entities – a growing demand supported not only by the Constitution, that recognizes the right to autonomy and self-determination of all people, but also by the public strategy for implementing PNGATI.

The project is structured into 4 parts. The first one is institutional strengthening, which will allow the execution of an integrated strategy to tackle pressures in the territory. The project will renovate the OPIRJ headquarter in Cruzeiro do Sul (AC), improve digital connectivity between all 14 tribes involved, and support strategic and governance meetings.

The second component is to implement a set of territorial and environmental management actions to protect and preserve the forest. Some of these actions are the construction of indigenous integrated management centres; multi-use spaces that will serve as support bases to execute the project; actions to defend the territory, such as the construction of surveillance houses, purchase of boats, fuel and equipment for carrying out expeditions; cross-border meetings with Indigenous Peruvians, to coordinate actions; and updating land and environmental management plans.

The third item supports sustainable productive activities, but with a focus on food security and the sustainability of traditional ways of life. This is an important strategy for Indigenous people to remain on their land, occupying and protecting the territory. Actions such as the construction of greenhouses for seedlings, nurseries for small animals, and fish farming will be supported.

Finally, the last component is the appreciation of Indigenous culture and traditions. The construction of halfway houses for cultural exchanges will be supported, as well as audiovisual workshops with video documentary production; the organisation of cultural collections, with training for Indigenous cultural producers; art and craft workshops; and the Annual Forest People Festival. This is a fundamental strategy because, on the one hand, it increases the sense of belonging and social cohesion of Indigenous people and engages youth and women, and on the other hand, it disseminates knowledge and culture to non-Indigenous people, in a process of sensitiveness and awareness-raising that breaks down prejudices and promotes dialogue.

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project is part of the “Territorial and Land Planning” component (3) of the Amazon Fund’s Logical Framework, contributing to the direct effect “Protected areas with infrastructure, territorial protection and consolidated management” (3.2) as a result of actions such as the review of plans and management instruments; territorial and environmental management of indigenous land; support for planning and governance seminars, workshops and meetings; support for infrastructure and equipment to promote territorial protection and surveillance activities; and training indigenous people in management, territorial protection and sustainable productive activities.

Evolution

Evolution

Date of approval	09.14.2023
Date of the contract	11.04.2023
*Disbursement period	05.04.2026

*Deadline for disbursements

approval

09.14.2023

award

11.04.2023

conclusion

Disbursement

Disbursement
	date	amount
1º disbursements	11.23.2023	R$8,175,875.66
2º disbursements	12.20.2024	R$18,956,654.57
Total amount disbursed		R$27,132,530.23

Total amount disbursed in relation to the Amazon Fund’s support

81%

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED

The project is structured around four components, whose main activities carried out are presented below.

Component 1 – Institutional Strengthening

The OPIRJ headquarters was renovated and expanded, creating a space for meetings, training activities, and broader community participation. Vehicles, computers, and communication equipment were acquired to support administrative, management, and communication activities.

Technological support services were implemented, including a digital productivity platform, institutional email accounts, and OPIRJ’s new website.

In partnership with the Conexão Povos da Floresta network, internet connectivity was established in 15 communities served by the project, without the need to acquire additional equipment.

Key events included the 9th and 10th Ordinary Assemblies of OPIRJ, which brought together representatives from the Indigenous Territories that are part of the OPIRJ network, as well as invited institutions such as the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF), the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai), the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Alto Juruá Special Indigenous Health District (DSEI Alto Juruá), the Extraordinary Secretariat for Indigenous Peoples of the State of Acre (SEPI), and the 61st Jungle Infantry Battalion (61st BIS). Meetings of the organization’s governance committees were also held.

Component 2 – Territorial and Environmental Management

The project advanced the implementation of Indigenous Integrated Management Centers (NIGIs), with the construction of four 180 m² facilities: one in the Arara do Amônia Indigenous Territory, in Novo Destino village; one in the Kuntanawa Indigenous Territory, in Sete Estrelas village; and two in the Rio Gregório Indigenous Territory, in the Nova Esperança and Mutum villages. Construction of three additional 200 m² NIGIs in the Nukini and Kampa do Rio Amônia Indigenous Territories was in its final stage.

Sixteen territorial strategic planning workshops were carried out, resulting in the participatory development of 14 Strategic Planning Notebooks for 13 Indigenous Peoples living in 12 territories.

To define indicators, baselines, and impact measurement methodologies, online meetings were held with participating communities, totaling more than 50 hours. The information collected supported the development of OPIRJ’s Strategic Management Dashboard, hosted on the Looker Studio platform, which consolidates data from 13 communities across the areas of territorial management, food security and forest restoration, cultural appreciation, and monitoring of extreme events.

As part of OPIRJ’s ongoing management capacity-building process, activities included the development of project management tools and templates, preparation of project-related presentations, production of a set of general maps of Acre State, Indigenous Territories, and Conservation Units, support for meetings with BNDES, and monitoring the implementation of OPIRJ’s strategic planning actions, among other initiatives.

Training activities in information technology and project development were initiated with representatives from supported territories. The courses covered Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Canva, virtual platforms, and project design. At the end of the training activities, one computer was provided to each participating territory.

Regarding territorial and environmental management plans, an assessment of the status of Territorial and Environmental Management Plans (PGTAs) in the supported territories identified three plans that had already been updated: Nawa, Arara do Humaitá, and Jaminawa do Rio Bagé. Responsibilities for implementing PGTA-related activities were also defined between the OPIRJ Territorial Management Project and the Juruá Sustentável Project.

Twenty motorized boats and 28 safety and survival kits were acquired and distributed to support territorial surveillance activities. Communication strategies were also developed to strengthen interaction between field agents and the supported Indigenous Territories.

Construction began on seven surveillance outposts, with the first unit completed in the Nawa Indigenous Territory, in Inu Awa village. In addition, 18 territorial monitoring expeditions were carried out across eight Indigenous Territories, including activities such as boundary maintenance, cleaning of signage, opening of trails, and planting of living boundary markers. Expedition reports recorded signs of territorial intrusion in monitored areas.

Two meetings of the Alto Yurúa/Juruá/Alto Tamaya Cross-Border Commission were held, bringing together more than 200 participants, including Indigenous leaders from Brazil and Peru, to discuss Indigenous rights and the protection of Indigenous territories.

Technical assistance was provided to the Noke Kôi (Katukina) people of the Campinas Katukina Indigenous Territory during negotiations that resulted in a Conduct Adjustment Agreement with Transmissora Acre. In addition, leaders from the Puyanawa, Nukini, Nawa, Huni Kuin, Ashaninka, and Kuntanawa peoples participated in a mission to Brasília to engage with representatives from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI), Funai, the National Secretariat for Traditional Peoples and Communities and Sustainable Rural Development of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), ICMBio, and the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) on issues related to territorial and environmental protection and management.

OPIRJ also supported the activities of the Technical Working Group for the Identification and Delimitation of the Kuntanawa Indigenous Territory, contributing to territorial data collection and to the organization of meetings and field activities carried out by the group.

Component 3 – Food Security and Forest Restoration

Forty-nine agroforestry kits were acquired and distributed among the territories supported by the project, providing tools and equipment to strengthen agroforestry activities carried out by Indigenous communities.

The Workshop on Adaptation and Response to Climate Change was also held in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, bringing together representatives of public institutions, partner organizations, and Indigenous Territories within OPIRJ’s network to assess the impacts of flooding events, define adaptation strategies, and develop an action plan.

As part of fish farming activities, 17 fish ponds were constructed, including 12 in the Kampa do Rio Amônia Indigenous Territory and five in the Arara do Rio Amônia Indigenous Territory. Training services on fish farming, management practices, and feed production were also contracted.

Component 4 – Indigenous Cultural Appreciation and Traditional Knowledge

The architectural design for traditional Indigenous Guest Houses was developed, and two units were built in the Kampa do Rio Amônia Indigenous Territory to provide accommodation for participants in cultural exchange activities.

Specialized consultancy services were contracted to support audiovisual training workshops, and equipment was acquired for these capacity-building activities. Terms of reference were also prepared for cultural training initiatives and archive organization activities, in addition to the planning of the Annual Festival of the Juruá Forest Peoples.