CONTEXTUALIZATION

The Territorial and Environmental Management Plan (PGTA) is an instrument of the National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Lands (PNGATI), of a dynamic nature, designed to express the leadership, autonomy, and self-determination of indigenous peoples. The PGTA materializes the planning, agreed by the entire indigenous community involved, of the use of its territory for cultural, environmental, and economic purposes.

The institution responsible for the execution of the supported project, the Institute of Research and Indigenous Education (Iepé), is a civil association founded in 2002, which operates in the cultural strengthening and sustainable development of indigenous communities in Brazilian territory, located in the Guiana Plateau, providing specialized
advice and diversified technical training to these populations.

THE PROJECT

The “Sustainable Bem Viver” project comprises two components. The first of these, which refers to the implementation of the PGTA of the Tumucumaque Park and Paru d’Este River ILs, includes the following activities: territorial control and protection; management and sustainable use of natural resources; training and education on territorial and environmental management; and governance of the PGTA, including the training of indigenous leaders, the strengthening of indigenous organizations, regional articulation, and shared management.

The second component, which comprises the elaboration of the PGTA of IL Zo’é, brings together the following actions: awareness and mobilization; surveys and field research; discussion, elaboration, agreement and presentation of the PGTA, and the definition of subsidies and operational guidelines for indigenous peoples of recent contact.

INTERVENTION LOGIC

The project is part of the “Sustainable Production” (1) and “Territorial Planning” (3) components of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework.

Its direct effects were defined as follows: 1.1 Economic activities for the sustainable use of forests identified and developed in the Tumucumaque Park (AP and PA) and Paru d’Este River (PA) ILs; 1.3 Expanded management and technical capacities for sustainable production in the Tumucumaque Park (AP and PA) and Paru d ‘Este River (PA) ILs; 3.2 Strengthened institutions and leaders for territorial and environmental management with territorial monitoring carried out.

The “Sustainable Bem Viver” project sought to advance the implementation of PNGATI in Amazonian ILs, with the arrangement of a new PGTA, and the execution of two existing PGTAs. ILs and PAs are the least deforested territorial categories in the Amazon. Support for territorial protection and consolidation of the management of these territories contributes directly to the general objective of the Amazon Fund: “reduce deforestation with sustainable development in the Brazilian Amazon.”

Click on the following image to view its objectives tree, that is, how the project's outputs and linked to the expected outcomes and impact.

ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED 

The “Sustainable Bem Viver” project was structured in two components: the first consisted of the implementation of the PGTA of the Tumucumaque Park and Paru d’Este River ILs; and the second promoted the elaboration of the PGTA of the Zo’é IL.

I – The first component was implemented in the Tumucumaque Park and Paru d’Este rivers, highlighting the main activities carried out below:

• Control and Territorial Protection

Equipment was purchased and delivered to the community surveillance networks and the Integrated Plan for Surveillance and Protection of the two ILs was prepared. The project supported eight surveillance and monitoring expeditions.

Eight bases for the operation of the Community Monitoring Networks were built. Established at points considered strategic, the bases are houses under traditional construction which serve for meetings and team meets to update territorial and environmental monitoring, plan expeditions, and for youth training courses.

Within the scope of the activities of updating socio-environmental diagnoses on the IL and its surroundings, the project deepened the diagnosis of mining and prospecting in the Tumucumaque complex and its surroundings in order to subsidize continuity of the implementation of the Territorial Protection Plan of the Indigenous Lands of Tumucumaque and Paru d’Este River.

• Management and sustainable use of natural resources

The project enabled eight agroecological expeditions, going to the villages to promote technical assistance activities and monitoring the extraction and management of gardens, involving men, women, and young indigenous people.

Throughout its execution, technical studies of viability of production chains were also carried out and two community projects conceived from these studies were supported: the “Community Beekeeping Project in the village of Santo Antônio” and the “Indigenous Stingless Beekeeping Project in the village of Jaherai,” both in the Tumucumaque Park IL. The community evaluated that the productive practices introduced have expanded the supply of honey and contributed to food security.

• Training for Territorial and Environmental Management

Throughout the project, 14 stages of environmental agent training were carried out. In all, 67 young environmental agents were trained over the course of four years in the themes of governance and indigenous participation, surveillance and territorial protection, nutrition and health, cultural strengthening, in addition to PNGATI itself.

Training specifically aimed at women was also offered. The workshop with the Articulation of Indigenous Women Tiriyó, Katxuyana, and Txikiyana (Amitikatxi) lasted three days, with debates in the morning and workshops on weaving and handicrafts with beads in the afternoon, with one hundred women in attendance. The workshop on the Articulation of Indigenous Women Wayana and Aparai (Amiwa) also lasted three days, focusing on traditional knowledge of use of medicinal plants, with 64 women in attendance.

• Governance of the PGTAs

The strengthening of indigenous leaders and organizations permeated several activities of the project, aiming to create conditions for continued implementation of the PGTAs, which are long-term plans of these populations. Management training workshops were held for representatives of indigenous organizations and one of the topics of greatest interest in training was related to associative and procedural issues for organizations to access resources via new projects.

• Regional Articulation and Shared Management

The project supported indigenous people in activities related to the Mosaic Advisory Council of Protected Areas of the Eastern Amazon, and the Councils of neighboring PAs.

II – The second component was elaboration of the PGTA of IL Zo’é, highlighting the main activities carried out for this purpose:

• Ethnomapping

Participatory ethno mapping was carried out through ten survey expeditions and nine workshops at the “Casa dos Mapas” Zo’é, in which the information collected in the field was worked on, consolidating the formation of the Zo’é in the elaboration of their PGTA.

• Documentation

Documentation was made on the use of raw materials, especially the registration of knowledge involved in the elaboration of chestnut fibers and fruit for adornments and nets and in the collection of clay and manufacture of roasters, pots, and pans. A collection of 136 objects that were part of the Zo’é cultural exhibition, which took
place at the Emílio Goeldi Museum, was also documented. These objects will be incorporated into the collection of the Indigenous Peoples Museum.

• Agreement

The formal PGTA agreement meeting of IL Zo’é took place in 2019. The coordinator of Funai, members of the indigenous health team, the prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor (MPF) of Santarém, as well as the technical team of Iepé were present. As for the indigenous, about fifty young people and adults were present, including the leaders of
all local groups.

• Publication

After the agreement, the work was carried out to publish the PGTA, contemplating the revision, editing, and translation of all materials produced with the Zo’é throughout 2018 and 2019. A first print run of one hundred copies was formatted and printed¹.

The publication is composed of four parts, highlighting the second, which contains the guidelines prepared by the Zo’é to ensure continuity of their way of life, as well as explaining what they expect from the performance of their partners Funai, the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (Sesai), Iepé, and others with less direct performance,
such as the MPF.

¹ Available at: http://www.fundoamazonia.gov.br/export/sites/default/pt/.galleries/documentos/acervo-projetoscartilhas-outros/Iepe-PGTA-Zoe.pdf.

Result and impact indicators

The project activities contributed to the results related to the “Sustainable Production” (1) and “Territorial Planning” component (3) of the Amazon Fund Logical Framework.

Below are the results of some of the indicators agreed to monitor the expected direct effects.

Direct effect 1.1 – Economic activities of sustainable use of the forest, identified and developed in the Tumucumaque Park (AP and PA) and Paru d’Este River (PA) ILs:

• Volume of in natura production generated by the supported project broken down by product (outcome indicator)
  Target: no predefined target | Result achieved: 798 kg of honey
• Number of handicraft production workshops carried out (output indicator)
  Target: 4 | Result achieved: 4
• Number of local projects for the management, processing and commercialization of agroforestry products (output indicator)
  Target: 2 | Result achieved: 2

Strengthening income-generating activities is an indigenous demand, always integrated with their territories and ways of life. The project had some actions in this line, with emphasis on stingless bee keeping and beekeeping activities.

Direct effect 1.3 – Expanded management and technical capacities for sustainable production in the Tumucumaque Park (AP and PA) and Rio Paru d’Este (PA) ILs:

• Number of women trained in the production of handicrafts (outcome indicator)
  Target: 55 | Result achieved: 60
• Number of technical studies to enable production chains of native products and management of natural resources (output indicator)
  Target: 2 | Result achieved: 2

Technical training and mapping of the production chains present in the territories are important for their economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The project achieved the desired results in this action.

Direct effect 3.2 – Institutions and leaders strengthened for territorial and environmental management, with territorial monitoring carried out:

• Number of indigenous associations strengthened for territorial and environmental management (outcome indicator)
  Target: 2 | Result achieved: 2
• Publication of the PGTA of the Zo’é IL (output indicator)
  Target: 1 | Result achieved: 1

Publication of the PGTA is the result of a broad participatory process of information collection and dialog with indigenous communities.

• Number of indigenous leaders trained to exercise the role of communities (output indicator)
  Target: 68 | Result achieved: 70
• Number of structured control and surveillance bases (output indicator)
  Target: 4 | Result achieved: 8
• Number of surveillance expeditions carried out (output indicator)
  Target: 4 | Result achieved: 8
• Number of trained young environmental agents (output indicator)
  Target: 40 | Result achieved: 67

Territorial control and management comprise several activities and are intrinsically related to the livelihood of traditional populations.

Institutional and administrative aspects

Implementation of the “Sustainable Bem Viver” project included the establishment of partnerships and cooperation, especially with the Apiwa and Apitikatxi indigenous associations and Funai. Another important partnership was established with the Forest and Biodiversity Development Institute of the State of Pará (Ideflor-Bio), which served as a
member of the Technical Center for the Implementation of the PGTA of the Tumucumaque Park and Paru d’Este River ILs and supported the elaboration and implementation of the Integrated Surveillance and Territorial Protection Plan of the two ILs.

During the development of the project, the Association of Indigenous Peoples Wayana and Apalai (Apiwa) and the Association of Indigenous Peoples Tiriyó, Kaxuyana, Txikuyana (Apitikatxi) became stronger, assuming important responsibilities, such as fuel distribution for travel and to execute activities.

Risks and lessons learned

Ensuring extensive participation of indigenous people – not just chiefs and leaders but also young people and women – during the implementation of the project’s actions was considered a success. The interest of these groups was increasing throughout the project’s realization, having implied, however, greater logistical efforts and expenses.

Another lesson learned was about native languages. Even with Iepé’s experience in working with Karib-speaking indigenous peoples in the region, there were challenging linguistic issues. Despite recognizing the importance of indigenous languages in the strengthening process, the languages that already had greater understanding by non-indigenous people or greater representativeness among local leaders prevailed. In projects with similar characteristics, the role of the translator should be appreciated more and more people should be put on this task.

In order to offer the workshops on occupation and use of the territory that would be integrated into the PGTA, some literacy activities were carried out, and it was clear, both for the Zo’é and for the Iepé and Funai teams, that it would not be possible to build a PGTA without offering the Zo’é the opportunity to appropriate means of registration and communication, such as writing in their indigenous language, making lists, sketches, maps, etc., detailed according to their own criteria.

One difficulty faced in the execution of the project was the inconstancy in Funai’s participation in its activities and events. During the course of the project, communication and scheduling of joint activities with the Brazilian indigenous body became more time-consuming processes.

Sustainability of results

Youth and leadership training activities promote the appreciation and training of indigenous young people so that they can contribute to their learning for a better life within their villages and demarcated lands. It is common for these young people to recognize that it is also up to them to share learning they acquired with more people, in addition to their dependence on meetings and projects. Indigenous women have also manifested themselves in this sense, articulating themselves in an increasingly participatory way in the assemblies.

The high engagement observed in sustainable production activities indicates that these initiatives may be continued after the end of the project, with emphasis on those related to beekeeping and stingless bee keeping. The young people dedicated to these activities have multiplied their learning among themselves and to other villages. The Articulation of Indigenous Women of Amiwa and Amitikatxi emerged during the activities of this project and the women who are in charge of these articulations are motivated by the advances achieved.

In relation to territorial protection, it should be noted that, after the end of the project’s support, autonomous inspection expeditions have already been carried out by the indigenous people themselves, duly registered and shared with the competent bodies (Funai and Ideflor-Bio), which indicates the benefits arising from the project will be permanent.