Close to our Ancestors: Gabon forest peoples map their land

Close to our Ancestors: Gabon forest peoples map their land.

In 2002, El Hajj Omar Bongo Ondimba, then President of the Republic of Gabon, signed into existence thirteen National Parks. The Parks were designed to represent different biomes and important biodiversity enclaves in this Congo Basin country.

This video, made in 2010, documents the experience of Babongo and Mitsogho villagers building a three dimensional model of their home territory which includes the Waka National Park in the Chaillu Massif, Ngounié Province. Waka NP is purported to have the highest primate density of any place on Earth, in an isolated mountainous equatorial rainforest threatened by foreign logging concessions. This territory, mostly in Ikobey District, is also home to Babongo "Pygmies", an indigenous hunter-gatherer people and their neighbours, the hunting-farming Mitsogho people.

The Participatory 3 Dimensional Mapping (P3DM) exercise provides an opportunity for indigenous and local people to engage with government about their rights, good governance and decision making in relation to the Protected Area, using their own languages and intimate knowledge of cultural and natural landscape. With the support of national and international NGOs and indigenous peoples' organisations from across the Congo Basin, the Babongo and Mitsogho villagers were able to use the map as a platform to speak to local and Provincial government about their concerns and to present a vision of participation and democratic governance. The video speaks to the challenge of conserving biodiversity and sustaining local cultural diversity, Protected Areas governance and livelihoods. The project was supported by MINAPYGA, Brainforest Gabon, Rainforest UK, CTA and IPACC with the cooperation of Wildlife Conservation Society (Gabon) and the Agence National des Parcs Nationaux of the Republic of Gabon.

References:

• Our forest, our dignity. Forest-dependent indigenous peoples voice their rights for existence and call for recognition of their cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge.
• A video documentary on PGIS Good Practice is found here.
• More information on the P3DM methodology including many case studies is found on www.iapad.org
• The handbook "Participatory 3-Dimensional Modelling: Guiding Principles and Applications; 2010 edition" in is available as a free download in English, French and Spanish.

Seeking Spatial Justice (Globalization and Community)

In Seeking Spatial Justice, Soja argues that justice has a geography and that the equitable distribution of resources, services, and access is a basic human right. Building on current concerns in critical geography and the new spatial consciousness, Soja interweaves theory and practice, offering new ways of understanding and changing the unjust geographies in which we live.

After tracing the evolution of spatial justice and the closely related notion of the right to the city in the influential work of Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey, and others, he demonstrates how these ideas are now being applied through a series of case studies in Los Angeles, the city at the forefront of this movement.

Soja focuses on such innovative labor–community coalitions as Justice for Janitors, the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, and the Right to the City Alliance; on struggles for rent control and environmental justice; and on the role that faculty and students in the UCLA Department of Urban Planning have played in both developing the theory of spatial justice and putting it into practice.


Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota Press (March 26, 2010)

Mapping for Change: The experience of farmers in rural Oromiya, Ethiopia

This 16 min film documents a participatory mapping experience of Ethiopian farmers in the Oromiya Region. Over a period of 12 days close to 140 people contributed to the construction of a 3-dimensional map covering – at a 1:10,000-scale - a total area of 672 sq km.



In a relatively degraded environment where soil fertility plummeted after the clearance of the natural forest and food security is at stake, residents of four woredas (Welmera, Ejere, Adea berga and Mulo) convene in the village of Telecho to map their own land.
Challenged by an unchartered process they successfully complete it, and while populating the map, they compare their past and present ecosystems and identify the root causes of their problems. They finally propose with their own solutions.

The experience marked their life …

• Read more about this participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) experience in Ethiopia.
• Download the Handbook on Participatory 3D Modelling, which is available in English, Spanish, French and Amharic.
• Learn more about Good PGIS practice ....

A handbook for the Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas Registry

Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) are managed areas that are voluntarily conserved by local or indigenous communities for conservation and cultural purposes.

This handbook is intended as a guide for those who wish to learn about ICCAs and the newly developed ICCA Registry tool, which aims to develop awareness, recognition and documented values of ICCAs through a community-supported database, maps and an interactive, multimedia website.  Communities who govern and manage ICCAs will find this handbook particularly helpful to understand how they can contribute to and benefit from the Registry if they wish.  This handbook adheres to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and supports the application of bio-cultural community protocols in maintaining the integrity of community knowledge and resources.


English version [Download]
Spanish version [Download]

The Role of participatory cultural mapping in promoting intercultural dialogue: We are not hyenas; a reflection paper

Cultural mapping involves the representation of landscapes in two or three dimensions from the perspectives of indigenous and local peoples. It is potentially an important tool for UNESCO in its efforts to help Member States and civil society to create platforms for intercultural dialogue, and increase awareness of cultural diversity as a resource for peace building, good governance, fighting poverty, adaptation to climate change and maintaining sustainable management and use of natural resources.

Cultural mapping, if applied wisely, can help to reach the objectives set out in the UNESCO “Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity" (2001) and related recent conventions : the “Convention of the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” (2003) and the “Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions” (2005). Cultural mapping is furthermore relevant to the World Heritage Convention which dates back to 1972, but has undergone major changes since then, expanding the notion of a cultural site and promoting stronger involvement of populations living on the sites.

The aim of this paper entitled "The Role of participatory cultural mapping in promoting intercultural dialogue: We are not hyenas" is to critically consider how cultural mapping can become a good practice of intercultural dialogue and successfully further the aims of the Universal Declaration and the related conventions.

The paper is meant to assist indigenous and local peoples to consider their options and aspirations, to help civil servants and policy makers evaluate how mapping can be a useful tool in cultural policy and inventory work, and for those who are making maps to reflect on their practices.

Source: Nigel Crawhall, 2010, UNESCO

Building critical awareness of cultural mapping: a workshop facilitation guide

This Facilitation Guide is part of UNESCO's efforts to raise awareness of the opportunities and risks of cultural mapping, which is increasingly used in development work, including by UNESCO, Cultural mapping, if applied respectfully, can be an effective tool for exploring the spatial and territorial aspects of a community's cultural resources and for making the link between memory, imagination, land and maps.

The Guide builds on the experience of a pilot workshop entitled "Cultural Mapping and its Possible Uses for Indigenous/Local Communities" organized by the Division for Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue at UNESCO, Paris, from 15 to 16 November 2006. It was held within the framework of the indigenous fellowship programme1 and brought together visiting fellows staff from across UNESCO Sectors and interested members of the public, including anthropologists and human rights activists. The workshop explored the opportunities and risks of cultural mapping in protecting and promoting the rights, cultures and aspirations of indigenous and local communities in the larger context of sustainable development.

This Guide aims to go beyond the circle of people who benefited from the workshop and reach out to others who wish to reflect upon and engage in the practice of cultural mapping both critically and constructively. It addresses two types of audiences: (i) representatives of indigenous/local communities involved in protecting and promoting their rights, cultures and aspirations, and (ii) individuals and groups with responsibility in programming and planning for sustainable development.

UNESCO, CLT.2009/WS/14

Linking and geotagging pastoralist and mobile production systems

Both shifting cultivation and pastoralism are essential production systems because they are a living reservoir of adaptive genes. For many traditional populations devoted to such livelihoods, mobility is still perceived as a prerequisite for conserving agrobiodiversity and animals breeds. On the other hand, governments, as well as some conservation organizations alike, tend to associate mobility with uncertainty, poverty, lack of technical skill and, overall, with a precarious life-style: “an endlessly roaming around in search of food”.

As a result, in many southern countries, resettlement schemes are implemented as adjoining strategies to poverty eradication. Moreover, large-scale mining, commercial logging, biofuel and oil-palm plantations further contribute to forcefully sedentarize mobile communities, displacing them from their ancestral territories. Starting from 2009, through a Christensen Fund (TCF) grant to the Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) of the University of Kent, an attempt has been made to foster communication amongst indigenous communities across regions on perceived common themes.  To pursue this objective, Dr. Dario Novellino (principal investigator of the CBCD project) has worked in close collaboration with other volunteers and researchers, such as Dr. Valentina de Marchi.

One of the key project’s objectives includes the building of solidarity and audiovisual exchanges between representatives of mobile indigenous communities on issues related to the maintenance of agro-biodiversity, hunting/gathering and pastoralists traditions, with a special focus on traditional varieties of crops and animal breeds. More importantly, such exchanges promote the sharing of experiences as a way of 1) fostering reflections and joint actions through the establishment of strategic alliances against extractive-industries; and 2) addressing common problems regarding indigenous links, rights and claims over ancestral homelands and cultural landscapes. The envisaged goal is to enable the production of jointly produced video-materials to be used for exerting pressure at the national and international policy level. Moreover, the project also aims at determining the exact location of bio-cultural diversity hotspots through geotagging and participatory mapping. In a photographic context, geotagging is the process of associating photos with specific geographic locations using GPS coordinates.

One of the ongoing inter-communities exchanges includes the shepherds of the Aurunci Mountains (Central Italy), those of Northern-Italy (Triveneto) and the pastoralists of the Kyrgyz Republic. At the starting, the initiative promoted informal shepherds gatherings in the communities of Maranola (Aurunci) and those of Triveneto, in order to inform local shepherds on Kyrgyz pastoralists’ livelihood and culture (this initial step was carried out through the use of videos and photographs).  Thus, Italian shepherds were informed on the situation faced by traditional stewards in Kyrgyzstan, and about the impact that the political transition from the Soviet Union to an independent republic has had on the local pastoralists’ way of life. In response to the information received, the Italian shepherds decided the topics of the messages they wanted to convey to their Kyrgyz counterpart, in addition to a selection of participatory shootings portraying their everyday practices. A compilation of these participatory audiovisual messages and shootings was edited and saved on DVDs.

Between June and September 2010, such DVDs have been shown amongst Kyrgyz pastoralists in the course of Dr. Valentina De Marchi’s mission in Kyrgyzstan.  As of now, this grass-root audio-visual exchange has proven to be important in terms of strengthening international solidarity amongst stewards of biocultural diversity. More importantly, it has provided marginalized and isolated communities with useful information on what goes on around the world and on the different strategies employed by various communities to protect their land, resources and cultural integrity. The replies from the Kyrgyz pastoralists to the Italian shepherds, have now been taken back to the Aurunci (Italy), and will be shared with the shepherds on the month of May.

During the fieldwork in Kyrgyzstan, participatory films on Aurunci and Triveneto shepherds have been screened several times by local pastoralists, especially in Chon-Kemin and At-Bashe valleys. Most of these audio-visual projections took place in individual yurts (tents) or in the course of social gathering (scerinè). The key content of these films, with subtitles and voice-overs in Kyrgyz language, portrays modes of production and grazing systems of Italian shepherds, their livestock, cheese making processes, local criteria for breed selection, perspectives on land and resources management, with particular reference to the conflicts occurring in the context of National Parks and protected areas.  On the whole, shootings on Italian shepherds were very well received by the Kyrgyz counterpart. Specifically, after watching the films, Kyrgyz pastoralists were considerable surprised in discovering that in industrialized countries, such as Italy, pastoralist modes of productions are still thriving, in spite of all challenges. Furthermore, they were surprised in learning that, in a country like Italy (idealized by Kyrgyz pastoralists as a ‘problems free’ Nation), shepherds livelihood and traditions are being threatened due to the implementation of culturally insensitive environmental laws. Overall, video-showing on Italian shepherds did raise, amongst Kyrgyz pastoralists, a number of crucial questions referring to gender issues, loss, transmission/revitalization of traditional knowledge, identity and ethnicity, global policies, forms of governance in different nations, etc.

For instance the film on Italian cheese making fostered a lively discussion on the recovering/revitalization of an old Kyrgyz cheese recipe (egighei) that – at the present - has almost disappeared. This prompted Dr. Valentina De Marchi to support Kyrgyz pastoralists in the documentation of their old egighei recipe. Finally, an initial documentation on the history of egighei was made and the video was shown in front of a diversified audience leading to important reflections on knowledge transmission and revitalization.

In the project’s second phase (Spring/Summer 2011), additional steps will be made in the planning of future exchanges amongst different Kyrgyz communities, which have been separated by international boundaries over long periods of time. Each of them, in their respective host nations, has developed its own counter-strategies for preserving mobility and pastoralist traditions. Our preliminary findings indicate that different Kyrgyz communities are now found in China (Xinjiang, Wuquia, Akqi, Akto, Tekes, Zhaosu, Beicheng, Wushi regions), Tajikistan (Pamir), Turkey (Van e Kars province), Afghanistan (Pamir and Badakhshan) and Altai region (in Russia and Kazak countries). To begin with, the project aims at establishing audio-visual exchanges between those pastoralist communities found in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Northeast Turkey. Such exchanges will focus on issues that will be regarded as relevant by the traditional custodians themselves, such as breeding and livestock knowledge, cultural loss, innovation and adaptation processes.  Some of these activities will be carried out in partnership with other TCF grantees such as the Rural Development Fund (RDF).

by Dario Novellino and Valentina De Marchi

Photo credits: Valentina De Marchi and Dario Novellino

Montpellier 2011 - Geomatics and participatory avenues

This is the presentation I delivered at the seminaire « Géomatique et Démarches participatives » which took place on 1 March 2011 in Montpellier (SupAgro, campus de la Gaillarde).

Notre forêt notre dignité : maquette 3D et revendication territoriale

More information on the case is found here.
Read also: Redessiner sa forêt en 3D

The Geospatial Web: How Geobrowsers, Social Software and the Web 2.0 are Shaping the Network Society

The Geospatial Web will have a profound impact on managing knowledge, structuring workflows within and across organizations, and communicating with like-minded individuals in virtual communities. The enabling technologies for the Geospatial Web are geobrowsers such as NASA World Wind, Google Earth and Microsoft Live Local 3D. These three-dimensional platforms revolutionize the production and consumption of media products. They not only reveal the geographic distribution of Web resources and services, but also bring together people of similar interests, browsing behavior, or geographic location.

This book summarizes the latest research on the Geospatial Web’s technical foundations, describes information services and collaborative tools built on top of geobrowsers, and investigates the environmental, social and economic impacts of geospatial applications. The role of contextual knowledge in shaping the emerging network society deserves particular attention. By integrating geospatial and semantic technology, such contextual knowledge can be extracted automatically – for example, when processing Web documents to identify relevant content for customized news services.

Presenting 25 chapters from renowned international experts, this edited volume will be invaluable to scientists, students, practitioners, and all those interested in the emerging field of geospatial Web technology.

Kit de Capacitación sobre Manejo y Comunicación Participativos de la Información Territorial

La versión en línea está ahora disponible - Publicado conjuntamente por CTA y FIDA, este Kit de Capacitación sobre Manejo y Comunicación Participativos de la Información Territorial es un producto único que se puede adaptar para satisfacer sus necesidades, asegurando que sus colaboradores reciban la mejor capacitación disponible.

El Kit de Capacitación contiene 15 Módulos y cada uno presenta una serie de Unidades. Los Módulos cubren todo el espectro de las buenas prácticas de desarrollo; desde la movilización de las comunidades hasta el desarrollo de una estrategia de comunicación basada en los resultados de las actividades de mapeo participativo. Los Módulos desarrollan temas tales como los fundamentos de la capacitación, la ética y el proceso y trabajo preparatorio de la comunidad, así como los métodos de mapeo participativo más técnicos, de tecnología de nivel bajo, medio y alto. El Kit de Capacitación culmina en un Módulo sobre la creación de redes, comunicación y abogacía, los pilares sobre los cuales los mapas se convierten en medios de comunicación y herramientas de negociación efectivas.

Usted decide qué quiere cubrir y cuándo. Este producto ha sido desarrollado utilizando el enfoque del Kit de Capacitación Multimedia (MMTK). Usted selecciona y elige los Módulos, Unidades y Componentes que mejor se adapten a sus necesidades específicas y desarrolla un currículo que se adapte a sus necesidades específicas.

Publicado por: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA), Wageningen, Los Países Bajos y el Fondo Internacional de Desarrollo Agrícola (FIDA), Roma, Italia

Año de publicación: 2010

Training Kit on Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication

Online version released - Co-published by CTA and IFAD, this Training Kit is a unique product that can be tailored to meet your needs, ensuring that your employees get the best training available on Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication.

The Training Kit contains 15 Modules, each presented through a series of Units. Modules cover the entire spectrum of good developmental practice – from mobilising communities to developing a communication strategy based on the outcome of participatory mapping activities.

The Modules touch on topics such as the fundamentals of training, ethics and community groundwork and processes as well as the more technical low-, mid- and high-tech participatory mapping methods. The Training Kit culminates in a Module on networking, communication and advocacy – the pillars upon which maps become effective media and negotiation tools.

You decide what you want to cover and when. This product has been developed using the Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK) approach – you pick and choose those Modules, Units and components that best suit your particular requirements and develop a curriculum to suit your specific needs.

Publishers: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA), Wageningen, The Netherlands and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome, Italy

Year of Publication: 2010

Human Planet - Web exclusive series trailer - BBC One

To watch: This is our planet. Our mother Earth. This is us, humans amidst mother nature. Great trailer. Thanks to the artist.

IFAD to establish forum to examine plight of indigenous peoples’ in rural areas

Rome, 18 February 2011 – The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has announced the establishment of an indigenous peoples’ forum under the Fund’s auspices, following a two-day workshop that concluded today at IFAD Headquarters in Rome.

Organized by IFAD with the support of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), the workshop convened about 30 representatives of indigenous peoples’ organizations, as well as IFAD staff, to discuss and agree on the directions, scope and the objectives of the forum, as well as how it will be organized, operated and governed.  The forum’s overall aim is to advance the participation of indigenous peoples in IFAD discussions and programmes that have an impact on them.

The group determined that the first global meeting of the indigenous people’s forum will take place in conjunction with the IFAD Governing Council in 2013

Indigenous peoples, who make up one-third of the world’s one billion extreme poor in rural areas, are among the most vulnerable and marginalized of any group.  Spread over 70 countries and representing diverse cultural backgrounds, they share many common challenges such as limited access to healthcare and education, loss of control over lands, displacement and violations of basic human rights

IFAD’s special interest in supporting them is based not only on poverty reduction, social justice and humanitarian concerns, but also the value that indigenous people in many cases contribute to sustainable agriculture, especially given the rich knowledge and understanding of ecosystem management that they have.
Welcoming the participants to the workshop on 17 February at IFAD headquarters, Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD said: “the work we do at the forum will be important, but we all agree that it is just one step in a long-term commitment to reaching our dual goals of equity and economic opportunity for indigenous peoples.”

“It is important that an indigenous peoples forum in IFAD be established so that the indigenous peoples will have an opportunity to share their views and recommendations on how IFAD can respond more effectively to indigenous peoples’ needs, aspirations and priorities” said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Convenor, Asian Indigenous Women’s Network and Former Chair of United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). “It will also enhance further the partnership between IFAD and indigenous peoples,” she concluded.

Mirna Cunningham Kain, Chair Center for autonomy and development of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua and member of the UNPFII, declared “IFAD’s policy of engagement with indigenous peoples offers an opportunity to address injustice that indigenous peoples has suffered in rural areas in the world and the establishment of an indigenous forum in IFAD is an innovative step, gives us voice and visibility that can and should help change rural development practices in our countries”.

According to Joseph Ole Simel, Chairman of Africa indigenous peoples climate change network and Executive Director, Mainyoito pastoralist integrated development organization in Kenya “IFAD initiative on indigenous peoples forum is a great idea of the 21st century for indigenous peoples”. The forum will assist or an able both indigenous peoples and IFFAD to deal with the problem of underdevelopment in a fundamental way. It will be the engine that will facilitate us to direct our efforts at the root causes of extreme poverty among indigenous peoples,” he concluded.

The ALDAW Save Palawan Campaign: using web 2.0 for policy Advocacy on indigenous peoples

In March 2006, former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for a revitalization of mining nation-wide. Open-pit and strip mining for nickel results in the flattening of mountain tops, in the plundering of forest and in the production of vast amounts of tailings that contaminate freshwater sources and the sea. Palawan, the richest Philippines’ province in terms of biocultural diversity, and a UNESCO Man & Biosphere Reserve, is threatened as ever before.

ALDAW (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch), a local advocacy network decided to take immediate action, in the attempt of bringing the plight of Palawan indigenous peoples to international attention. In 2009, ALDAW in collaboration with the Centre for Biocultural Diversity (CBCD) of the University of Kent, began to produce participatory videos amongst indigenous communities. The primary aim was to provide communities with more information on the ecological and social impact of mining, in order to allow people to make informed decisions while confronting mining corporations. ALDAW began its journey amongst those communities who had already experienced the effects of mining. The recorded testimonials from community representatives (both indigenous and migrant farmers) were shared with other communities who were still in the process of confronting mining companies, and were unsure about the way in which they should approach these enterprises. These videos have had a tremendous impact in terms of bringing local grass-root voices to policymakers and to the global level. 

Dedicated ALDAW channels on YouTube and a page on Vimeo were established. For the residents of Palawan, these platforms have become an essential channel for presenting their claims and aspirations, as well as for entering into a dialogue with other indigenous communities from around the globe. ALDAW fieldwork also included the production of geo-tagged images aimed at documenting the overlapping between mining concessions, fragile environments and the ancestral territory of indigenous communities. Geo-tagged photos were loaded into a geo-aware application, displayed on satellite Google map and posted on the ALDAW Facebook Page. ALDAW also posted an Online Petition that, as of the present, has been signed by almost 4,900 people, while ad additional 20,000 signatures were collected through the assistance of Rainforest Rescue. 

Networking and the wide dissemination of information on the Palawan case encouraged other organizations - such as Survival International - to support the ALDAW campaign. As of now, a number of advocacy organizations and research institutions provided added channels for ALDAW to disseminate information including video documentaries (vlogging) and updates from the field. See, for instance, Intercontinental Cry, PPgis.Net Blog , Plant Talk of the Eden Project, Community Solidarity Response Toronto, CEESP, the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy, PipLinks (Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links). 

Rainforest Rescue also decided to support ALDAW struggle, by petitioning the UNESCO for taking no action to protect its declared Palawan Man & Biosphere Reserve. As a result of this action, ALDAW has been approached by the UNESCO and preliminary negotiations are ongoing. 

Just when the Palawan campaign almost appeared to have reached its peak, a tragic and unexpected event took place in Palawan on 24 January 2011, Gerry Ortega, an environmental advocate and broadcast journalist, was killed by a gunman after finishing his daily radio program on DWAR Palawan, which had been very critical of mining interests. Right after this, the ABS-CBN Foundation of the Philippine decided to fully support anti-mining efforts in Palawan, through the lunch of a 10 Million Signatures “No to Mining in Palawan” online petition. 

Recently, in response to the mounting outcry from both International and National communities, Pres. Benigno Aquino III announced that the government will cancel more than 300 pending mining applications in Palawan. ALDAW and the NGO community have welcomed the President’s decision, but they also warned that this will have little impact on the ecological integrity of Palawan because it would not stop the destruction and degradation being done by those mining projects that are already operating on the island.

People interested in the topics can join this GoogleGroup.

Impact on policy making:

Here are some articles appeared in the press:

• Phl suspends issuance of new mining permits (philstar.com) February 18, 2011
• Paje to MGB: Stop accepting new mining applications The Philippine Star, 02/19/2011
• Philippines suspends issuance of new mining permits (Xinhua, 2011-02-18)
• Uphill battle vs mining in Palawan begins ABS-CBN News, 02/23/2011

Comments are reflections

The short article summarizes the experience and methodologies of the ALDAW Network in bringing the voices of mining affected communities on Palawan Island (the Philippines) to national and international attention.  The overall ALDAW campaign strategy combines community grounded work with several WEB 2.0 tools/platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo, Blogs, Vlogs, Facebook, Geotagging, GoogleGroups, e-networking, and other tools for monitoring the occurrence of selected topics on the net, etc.

Some of the key lessons learned which ALDAW could share with other indigenous/farmers groups, as well with NGOs and People’s Organizations from different countries include the following:

1. How to use participatory videos to fostering reflection and joint actions while establishing strategic grass-root alliances against extractive-industries;
2. How to produce and circulate participatory videos to be used for exerting pressure at the national and international policy level.

This entails producing advocacy tools that are not only addressed to policy makers, conservation and development organizations, but that equally generate intra or inter-community solidarity across regions, as well as common grounds for cross-cultural discussions and analysis.

Report Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Rights over their Ancestral Lands and Natural Resources

Washington, D.C., February 17, 2011—The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) today published its report Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Rights over their Ancestral Lands and Natural Resources.

The protection of indigenous peoples' right to property over their ancestral lands is an issue of particular importance to the IACHR because the effective enjoyment of that right involves not only protection of an economic unit but also protection of the human rights of a collectivity whose economic, social, and cultural development is based on its relationship with the land, which is the basis for its worldview. As a result, the Commission has long paid particular attention to indigenous and tribal peoples’ right to communal property over their lands and natural resources, as a right in itself, and as a guarantee of the effective enjoyment of other basic rights.

The right to property pursuant to Article 21 of the American Convention on Human Rights thus has singular importance for indigenous and tribal peoples, because the guarantee of the right to territorial property is a fundamental basis for the development of indigenous communities’ culture, spiritual life, integrity and economic survival. It is a right to territory that encompasses the use and enjoyment of its natural resources. It is directly related, even a pre-requisite, to enjoyment of the rights to an existence under conditions of dignity, to food, water, health, life, honor, dignity, freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of association, the rights of the family, and freedom of movement and residence.

The report the IACHR is publishing today compiles and discusses the scope of indigenous and tribal peoples’ rights over their territories, lands, and natural resources. In this regard, it analyses the obligation of the States to consult with indigenous peoples and guarantee their participation in decisions regarding any measure that affects their territories. The State has to consult them on any matters that might affect them, the purpose of such consultations should be to obtain their free and informed consent, and they must be carried out in accordance with their customs and traditions, through culturally adequate procedures and taking into account their traditional decision-making methods.

The report is based on the legal instruments of the Inter-American system, as interpreted by the Commission and the Inter-American Court in the light of developments in general international human rights law. It also aims to point out specific problems, guidelines, and best practices to enhance the enjoyment of human rights by indigenous and tribal peoples across the hemisphere.

A principal, autonomous body of the Organization of American States (OAS), the IACHR derives its mandate from the OAS Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights. The Inter-American Commission has a mandate to promote respect for human rights in the region and acts as a consultative body to the OAS in this matter. The Commission is composed of seven independent members who are elected in a personal capacity by the OAS General Assembly and who do not represent their countries of origin or residence.

Happenings at the United Nations: Workshop for the Creation of an Indigenous Peoples’ Forum

Rome: Rome was the venue this past week for a crucial high-speed two-day workshop on the creation of a Forum to redress pressing agriculturally based concerns involving indigenous peoples.

Delegates representing indigenous groups from Latin America/Caribbean, Africa and Asia/Pacific gathered at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to hammer out details on the principles and framework of the Forum.  The Forum is platform by which partnerships with indigenous peoples with regard to agricultural activities can be strengthened, and institutionalized dialog between the United Nations and indigenous peoples can be promulgated.  The creation of the Forum is obligated under the principles and auspices of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

One hundred people including IFAD staff and observers were on-hand to witness the proceedings.  Many of the delegates were dressed in their traditional pomp, which made for a splash of eye-catching color.  Proceedings were carried out in on a tri-lingual basis.  English, as the official business language of the United Nations, was heard most throughout the elongated and acoustically smart IFAD conference space.  French and Spanish were heard almost as often.  Linguistic experts in cavernous booths behind the scenes feverishly interpreted the mélange to provide delegates with unwavering translation.

The right to self-determination is at the very heart of issues surrounding indigenous peoples’ struggles.   Full participation in decision-making connected to rights to land and resources is seen as a very necessary step to express self-determination.  This also includes the ability to re-define the definition of “poor” and “poverty.”  The concept of poverty to many indigenous groups is foreign, and likewise do not consider themselves to be “poor.” Many of those representing indigenous groups at the workshop wanted a common understanding and conceptual framework, which addressed systemic communication and agricultural processes between IFAD and themselves so that their voices were well-understood going forward.   Also expressed was that full participation and two-way information sharing is crucial to eliminate any overly “top-down” processes in the creation of agricultural policy carried out at local levels.

Other issues brought to the fore were climate change, development aggression, identity, totemism, gender balance, livelihood representation, equal regional community representation, and lived experience. This workshop was not a policy making fora, but a space to work out details of an agreed upon policy framework. The hope is the that Forum will provide a strong framework and continuum to allow for open dialog between and among indigenous communities, national governments, and IFAD on very important agricultural projects.  The outcomes will certainly have reciprocal importance for us all.  To follow the action, please see IFAD’s website: www.ifad.org.

By Sam Yellen

Ten step process for producing a Participatory Video. The Telecho Experience

This video was shot during the making of a participatory video in Telecho village, Highlands Ethiopia. It is meant to show in 10 easy steps the process used during this participatory video training. Fernanda Baumhardt and Patricia Santos trained 14 youth age 14- 16 that have no access to electricity and TV to hold a camera, speak on a microphone and do interviews, making their own film.

This Video has been produced in the framework of the project: "Promotion of Collaborative Spatial Information Management and Communication in East and Southern Africa", Telecho, Ethiopia

Project coordination and funding: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and MELCA - Ethiopia

Community Mapping in Tsunami Affected Areas in Aceh, Indonesia

Macroasia and the Plundering of Protected Areas: Unravelling the Roots of Illegality

ALDAW, Puerto Princesa - In spite of the growing outpour of international support and solidarity, it appears to be no end to the attempts of some government institutions to transform the Philippines “Last Frontier” (Palawan Island) into one of the most popular mining destinations (click on the map below to see the details!).

Click the map to enlarge it to its original size !

Indeed, the violation of indigenous ancestral land rights on Palawan Island (Philippines) has exacerbated towards the end of 2010, with the proliferation of street protests and peaceful demonstrations. On December 21, the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) [in the absence of the chair, NGO representative, and with the vice governor opposing] affirmed the decision of the PCSD executive committee made last December 4, 2010, to issue Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) clearances to Macro Asia Mining Corporation and Ipilan Nickel Mining Corporation (INC).
According to the Environmental Legal Environmental Center (ELAC) such clearances would enable these mining corporations to conduct large-scale mining operations within natural forests, protected areas and within the ancestral domain of the Palawan indigenous peoples. According to the SEP, the affected areas are classified as ‘strict protection’ or ‘core zones’ and ‘restricted use zones’. “The PCSD decision overstepped the bounds of the law that it is mandated to uphold, and ultimately placed Palawan’s natural and cultural heritages at great risk” said ELAC Attorney Gerthie Mayo Anda.

Surprisingly, on July 30, the indigenous peoples of Palawan and the local NGOs had succeeded in obtaining from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) a deferment of a SEP endorsement to MacroAsia Corp. On that occasion Governor Baham Mitra agreed to defer the decision to endorse a SEP clearance to MacroAsia until a multipartite team composed of PCSD technical staff, local government officials, NGOs and Indigenous Peoples’ representatives would have visited the proposed area to investigate indigenous peoples complaints. Sadly, since then, the PCSD has made no efforts in constituting the much-wanted “multipartite team”.

The PCSD is the government body in charge of implementing the “Strategic Environmental Plan”, a very special environmental law aiming at ensuring the sustainable development on the island. This ‘Strategic Plan’ was created and put into place through conspicuous financial resources coming from the European Union which culminated with the  implementation of the Palawan Tropical Forestry Protection Programme (PTFPP). “It would be tremendously useful if the European Commission itself would begin an in-depth evaluation on how its multi-million investments in the preservation of Palawan Island have been rather vilified by reckless mining policies and by short-sighted politicians. Somebody must be made accountable for these conservation failures” said Dario Novellino, International Coordinator of the ALDAW Network (Ancestral Land Domain Watch).

Palawan is well known as the bio-diversity richest province in the Philippines and, for this reason, in the eighties, the entire island was declared by the UNESCO as a Man and Biosphere Reserve. “We tried to approach UNESCO several times on this issue” said a spokesman of the ALDAW Network (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch). “Through its silent and inertia, the UNESCO has shown, once again, how these declarations bring little or no benefits to local communities, especially when there is no clear political commitment to uphold them. Overall UNESCO has revealed the general weakness of the entire United Nations system, that is a chronic incapacity to take unequivocal positions on urgent matters requiring unambiguous and concerted political efforts” he added.

The political squabbles underlying the mining saga on Palawan Island are clearly detected in the ambiguous behavior of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) - the official government body in charge of protecting the rights of tribal communities. As of now, the NCIP Palawan Provincial Office has bluntly violated all required procedures leading to transparent and genuine FPIC processes, siding instead with the mining companies. As a result, the indigenous communities of Brooke’s Point Municipality have bitterly rejected the so-called Certificates of Precondition issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), in favor of mining companies.

On January 2011, Alyansa Tigil Mina (“The Alliance Against Mining”) - the largest advocacy network in the Philippines - has asked clarifications to NCIP national office on the compilation of an investigation report allegedly prepared by NCIP Provincial Officer Roldan Parangue, in response to the complains raised by the indigenous people of Brookes’ Point. In a letter dated 11 January 2011 Myrna L. Caoagas, from NCIP National, stated that the NCIP main office has never received such report.
Obviously, while the NCIP is unable to provide evidences of Indigenous Peoples’ Free and Prior Informed Consent, MacroAsia Corporation and INC are working hard to prove that their operations have been favorably accepted by local communities.  Village people that are not from Brookes’ Point Municipality are “induced” by both companies to make positive statements in their favor. Specifically, Mrs. Apolonia “Onyang” De Las Alas, a councilor from Mabalot village - and originally from the Municipality of Agutaya, in the North of Palawan - was invited to talk on the behalf of the indigenous peoples of Brookes’ Point in a press conference jointly organized by MacroAsia and INC, on January 5.  This has raised a fierce reaction on the part of the traditional and legitimate indigenous leaders.  Meanwhile, the ALDAW network has decided to approach Congressman Teddy Brawner Baguilat  (chairperson of the National Cultural Committee) requesting a Congressional Investigation of these matters.However, time to save Palawan is running out: towards the end of this month, Baham Mitra, Governor of Palawan and chairman of the PCSD will express his own decision on whether to endorse a SEP clearance to MacroAsia, Ipilan Nickel Corporation and LEBACH. As of now, all these companies have failed to secure the needed social acceptability requirements and have bluntly violated the basic tenets of both the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEC) and of the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA Law).

Once again, one of the government agencies to be blamed for these violations is the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (SEP). ELAC believes that “the Council overlooked the clear intent of the SEP law when it compromised its zoning policy to accommodate certain mining interests”. For the same reason, the ALDAW network has recently requested the PCSD to stop any further attempt of changing the definition of ‘core zones’ and other zones to allow mining activities in forested land.  It has already been established that some definitions such as those of “controlled use zones” found in the Strategic Environmental Plan have been amended by the Council to please extractive industries. For instance, according to the SEP law, in Controlled Use Area – (the outer protective barrier that encircles the core and restricted use areas): “strictly controlled mining and logging, which is not for profit… may be allowed”. Uncharacteristically, the “not for profit” specification has been eliminated, thus opening these zones to commercial extractive activities.

Clearly, the newly produced ALDAW video and additional geotagged evidences reveal that MacroAsia and INC have carried out exploration activities in ‘core zones’ (areas of maximum protection), as well as in ‘restricted zones’ and watershed areas. The locations of MacroAsia test-pits have been documented in areas of pristine virgin forest, and also at high altitudes (e.g. around and above 1,000 meters ASL) and specifically in those areas of primary forest where indigenous people harvest the resin of Almaciga trees (Agathis philippinensis), which is traded by the local communities for rice and other prime commodities.ALDAW geotagging-data further indicates that LEBACH drilling activities are also taking place out of the limits of its Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) area.  Recently, the company has also harassed and intimidated local farmers by cutting their coconut palms, in the attempt of forcing them out of their own land. In conjunction with these field investigations, Artiso Mandawa, ALDAW national coordinator, has received persistent dead threats. “I will continue to fight for my people and my land, until the President of the Philippines puts a halt to all those mining investments that are genocidal to indigenous people” said Mandawa.

“We are afraid that the pronunciation of the newly elected President and especially of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is that they would pursue mining as an economic policy, just like the previous Arroyo government. We cannot fight climate change if we will not prioritize sustainable development” added Alyansa Tigil Mina National Coordinator Jaybee Garganera.

It is rather ironic that President “Noynoy” Aquino’s centerpiece program is poverty alleviation and strict implementation of anti-corruption measures. Corruption, however, is not only about grafting, it is a state of mind, something that contradicts all ethical principles on which human coexistence and well being should be based.  Sacrificing watersheds, forests and people’s livelihood in favor of foreign profit is unethical; it is the most corrupted way of dealing with public welfare while jeopardizing the future of the coming generations.  Surely, “Noynoy” Aquino’s fight against corruption and poverty will not be credible, until the new administration comes up with a new mining policy to ban mining in Palawan, while revoking Executive Order 270-A or the revitalization of mining for the Philippines as a whole.

What you can do ...

Sign a Petition to Stop Mining in Palawan!

And address your concerns to:

• The Office of President Benigno C. Aquino III, Malacañang Palace, Manila, Philippines; titonoy@president.gov.ph
• Honorable Governor of Palawan Baham Mitra; abmitra2001@yahoo.com; fax: 0063 (048) 433-2948 
• Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD); oed@pcsd.ph. and c/o Mearl Hilario mearlhilario@yahoo.com;  fax: 0063 (048) 434-4234
• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); The Secretary, Ramon Jesus Paje osec@denr.gov.ph or hea@denr.gov.ph
• Mines and Geosciences Bureau mines_r4@yahoo.com
• The Man and Biosphere UNESCO (MAB) programme; The Secretary, Mr. Natarajan Ishawaran, n.ishwaran@unesco.org

For more information watch ALDAW videos on Vimeo and on YouTube or contact the ALDAW INDIGENOUS NETWORK (Ancestral Land/Domain Watch) aldaw.indigenousnetwork@gmail.com , ELAC (Environmental Legal Assistance Center) palawan@elac.org.ph or padayon_egl@yahoo.com and or Alyansa Tigil Mina (nc@alyansatigilmina.net or alyansatigilmina@gmail.com )

Source: ALDAW, 22 January 2011


ALDAW INDIGENOUS NETWORK
(Ancestral Land/Domain Watch)
is a Philippines-based advocacy campaign network of Indigenous Peoples defending their ancestral land and resources from mining corporations, oil palm companies, top-down conservation schemes and all forms of imposed development.

Looking Through a Mirror at our Past and Present: Account of a P3DM Exercise in Ethiopia

The leathery scent at the venue hall was nothing more than the confirmation that we were working in rural Ethiopia, in a village called Telecho, some 30 kilometres north of Holeta. We had just gathered with 20 delegates coming from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Cameroon and Benin to co-facilitate a participatory mapping exercise implemented by more than 130 villagers coming from 28 kebeles located within the area and foothills of a mountain known as Foata.

The exercise – organised by MELCA-Ethiopia, a national NGO and supported by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), was a response to a call by the community for assistance in rehabilitating its environment which suffered heavy deforestation and soil degradation over the past decades. After several month of preparation, the exercise took place on 8-18 December 2010 in the village of Telecho amidst a golden landscape shimmering with wheat, teff and rye at maturity stage intersected by dark brown strips of ploughed land and exposed soil cloths weltering in the choking sun.

Close to 140 people worked in shifts on the model which covers – at a 1:10,000-scale - a total area of 672 sq km including portions of four woredas namely Welmera, Ejere, Adea berga and Mulo. Assisted by the trainers, 14 students, three teachers and the foreign delegates (the trainees) manufactured the blank model. Approximately 110 elders representing 28 kebeles contributed in overlapping groups to the elaboration of the map legend and the depicting of their mental maps onto the model. A number of representatives from local government units contributed to the exercise as well.

The assembling of the blank model using 3-mm thick sheets of carton board and measuring 2.8m x 2.4m, took three days while the depiction of the landscape and the location of features relevant to the community, took additional six days.

Selected elders introduced the first group of participants to the draft legend which was verified and further enriched in terms of items and their descriptors. Once completed, the model stored 48 layers of information including 25 point-, 5 line- and 18 area types. A count of point data done at the end of the exercise revealed that within the area there were 38 schools, 23 health posts, 113 sacred trees, 8 markets, 861 settlements and much more.

In terms of process, villagers from the first group introduced the second group to its task and the latter did the same with the third group. This ensured a full transfer of ownership of the entire process from the facilitators, who kick-started the process, to the informants, which proudly presented their output to the wider community and government representatives on the day of the inauguration and closing ceremony. Villagers worked with great attention and passion while depicting the landscape of their woredas. Animated discussions, exchanges, and negotiations characterised the process involving both men (the majority) and women. Traditional dances animated the start of the activities in the morning while work kept on rolling until night at the light of a generator.

A bull was slaughtered in anticipation of the closing ceremony which took place on 18 December 2010. The event signified the apotheosis of the process where elders (man and women) presented the legend and information featured on the 3D model and described the process which led to its production. The audience was composed of approximately 300 villagers originating from all 28 woredas, representatives from the parliament, local government, CTA, the Finnish Embassy and delegates coming from 9 African countries, representing NGOs and universities.

During the various phases of model making, participants were given the chance to express themselves and provide written feedback on the process using so called “democracy walls”. Democracy walls are large sheets of craft paper labelled as “I noticed”, “I learned”, “I discovered”, “I felt”, “I would like to suggest” where individuals can stick A5 sheets of paper where they have marked a statement related to the “label” and concerning the process experienced. In addition a professional media team documented the process and conducted interviews, and a group of youth was trained and assisted in producing a Participatory Video (PV).

Participating villagers reported that working on the model elicited powerful memories of a past landscape characterised by lush forests and permanent river courses, and made them realise how much the conversion of the matural habitat had impacted (negatively) on their life. Participants stated that through a self-reflection process they realised that their non-sustainable handling of the resources base had led to impoverishment of soils and decrease in crop yield, and that the present situation was threatening their livelihoods and mere subsistence. They stated that the process of model building created learning environment and gave them a sense of purpose. “The P3DM process enables the community to look at itself using the model as a mirror” wrote a villager on a card featuring on the “Democracy Walls”.

Written statements made by villagers (in Amharic) while working on the 3D model:

“I felt that - as we destroyed the natural resources in our surroundings, we lost the soil, the forest, wild animals and more. This in turn is harming ourselves and creating problems to coming generations”.
“I felt that I could compare what we did on the map with what existed in the past [in the real world], and this makes it clearer about what to do in the future”.
“I noticed that it [the process] helped me understanding the importance of participation. I also realized that the community has valuable knowledge that we were not aware of.” 
“I noticed that the P3DM process enables the community to look at itself using the model as a mirror. It builds capacities and that is important for the development of the country.”

Source: Democracy Walls, Telecho, 17 December 2010

The large gathering on 18 December reinforced the message as villagers involved in the mapmaking shared their realisations, increased awareness and statements of intentions. The presence of Government representatives who seemed bewildered by the view of the model at its unveiling, was much appreciated by the community members, and reinforced their perception of being considered and listen to in their pledge for working jointly for a better future. In this context villagers decided to convene a larger meeting to look into a series of actions which would help them rehabilitate their degraded land.

A few days after the completion of the exercise, MELCA was granted additional financial support by the Finnish Embassy to sustain follow-up activities related to the rehabilitation of the environment in the project area. The 3D model will play an important part in this process as it represents the most updated and most relevant repository of local spatial information and a planning tool which can be easily mastered at village level, as it is fully understood and endorsed by the local populace.

Last but not least, the national and international trainees expressed their intention to replicate the process in their areas.

Authors: Giacomo Rambaldi / CTA and Million Belay MELCA-Ethiopia
Images: G. Rambaldi / CTA© and Damian Prestidge / CTA©

French version