2020 Grant Partner - Rainforest Foundation
The Rainforest Foundation "pause" will bring together key field leads from several of their indigenous partner organizations, many of whom face similar challenges in Peru, Brazil, Guyana and Central America. The retreat will bring together key individuals working in the space of Indigenous land rights, evidence-based advocacy, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and, security with the TIMBY team to help brainstorm, design and generate strategic projects that can streamline and scale Indigenous monitoring and policing across crucial forested regions in Central and South America.
During their 5-day retreat they will sketch out the array of challenges facing indigenous land defenders in Central and South America, then staff from RFUS, GEOindigena, Amerindian Peoples Association, CIR / Hutukara and ORPIO, will meet with software developers to sketch out collaborative solutions for protecting indigenous lands and forests.
UPDATE FROM THE FIELD:
Interview with Cameron Ellis and Tom Bewick at the Rainforest Foundation US - by Kristin Coates, ITP Advisory Committee 12/2020
Introduction:
Cameron Ellis manages mapping and field operations for the Rainforest Foundation US’s work in Central America and the Guiana Shield. Cameron has been working with indigenous communities for over fifteen years, supporting them to map, manage, articulate and advocate their own vision for a prosperous and sustainable future. Tom Bewick directs research, forest protection, and legal work as well as fundraising, communication, operations and outreach for Rainforest Foundation US’s Peru program. The main goal of the Rainforest Foundation is to tackle the major challenges of our day: deforestation, the climate crisis, and human rights violations.
The purpose of their ITP grant is to bring together key field leads from several of their indigenous partner organizations, many of whom face similar challenges in Peru, Brazil, Guyana and Central America. The retreat will bring together key individuals working in the space of Indigenous land rights, evidence-based advocacy, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and, security with the TIMBY team to help brainstorm, design and generate strategic projects that can streamline and scale Indigenous monitoring and policing across crucial forested regions in Central and South America.
Their original plan to for their 5-day retreat was to sketch out the array of challenges facing indigenous land defenders in Central and South America, then staff from RFUS, GEOindigena, Amerindian Peoples Association, CIR / Hutukara and ORPIO, will meet with software developers to sketch out collaborative solutions for protecting indigenous lands and forests.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO ITP?
The Rainforest Foundation US was introduced through another ITP Seeding Possibilities partner, TIMBY, an organization that uses localized data to remedy climate change, human rights, and other illegal activities. There is an abundance of corruption at both the local and national levels, whereas indigenous leaders solve real root problems. This is what invoked the pause - knowing the need and possibilities of bringing indigenous people together to solve their root problems. Covid only amplified the needs of health, protecting their natural environment, etc and only they could fill the gap for their communities.
HOW DID YOU ACCOMPLISH YOUR PAUSE?
The Pause, orginally planned as a 5 day retreat in which indigenous people would congregate from different regions needed to be redesigned due to Covid. The original focus of the retreat was on the use of technology and networks in South America that can protect communties from deforestation and promote carbon mitigation. These same technological resources have proven to be incredibly valuable in supporting communities in getting resources during COVID. These communities already have capacity and can build in the communities where they work and reside. During Covid, this is not the right time for participatory meetings in Panama, Ecuador, Guyana and Peru. The pause redesign needed to address the question of ‘How do we work/create a pause that is in depth but doesn’t require a gathering of different indigenous communities but still generates informed discussions and sharing of best practices?” Imagine little information hubs to exchange technical learnings and best practices - block chain, smart contracts, communications. The output is a consensus road map of opportunities, challenges, and creating practical regional solutions. The Rainforest Foundation US will go to targeted communities and host convenings, and then draw correlations and connections to create a roadmap for all communities to share.
Introduction:
Cameron Ellis manages mapping and field operations for the Rainforest Foundation US’s work in Central America and the Guiana Shield. Cameron has been working with indigenous communities for over fifteen years, supporting them to map, manage, articulate and advocate their own vision for a prosperous and sustainable future. Tom Bewick directs research, forest protection, and legal work as well as fundraising, communication, operations and outreach for Rainforest Foundation US’s Peru program. The main goal of the Rainforest Foundation is to tackle the major challenges of our day: deforestation, the climate crisis, and human rights violations.
The purpose of their ITP grant is to bring together key field leads from several of their indigenous partner organizations, many of whom face similar challenges in Peru, Brazil, Guyana and Central America. The retreat will bring together key individuals working in the space of Indigenous land rights, evidence-based advocacy, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and, security with the TIMBY team to help brainstorm, design and generate strategic projects that can streamline and scale Indigenous monitoring and policing across crucial forested regions in Central and South America.
Their original plan to for their 5-day retreat was to sketch out the array of challenges facing indigenous land defenders in Central and South America, then staff from RFUS, GEOindigena, Amerindian Peoples Association, CIR / Hutukara and ORPIO, will meet with software developers to sketch out collaborative solutions for protecting indigenous lands and forests.
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO ITP?
The Rainforest Foundation US was introduced through another ITP Seeding Possibilities partner, TIMBY, an organization that uses localized data to remedy climate change, human rights, and other illegal activities. There is an abundance of corruption at both the local and national levels, whereas indigenous leaders solve real root problems. This is what invoked the pause - knowing the need and possibilities of bringing indigenous people together to solve their root problems. Covid only amplified the needs of health, protecting their natural environment, etc and only they could fill the gap for their communities.
HOW DID YOU ACCOMPLISH YOUR PAUSE?
The Pause, orginally planned as a 5 day retreat in which indigenous people would congregate from different regions needed to be redesigned due to Covid. The original focus of the retreat was on the use of technology and networks in South America that can protect communties from deforestation and promote carbon mitigation. These same technological resources have proven to be incredibly valuable in supporting communities in getting resources during COVID. These communities already have capacity and can build in the communities where they work and reside. During Covid, this is not the right time for participatory meetings in Panama, Ecuador, Guyana and Peru. The pause redesign needed to address the question of ‘How do we work/create a pause that is in depth but doesn’t require a gathering of different indigenous communities but still generates informed discussions and sharing of best practices?” Imagine little information hubs to exchange technical learnings and best practices - block chain, smart contracts, communications. The output is a consensus road map of opportunities, challenges, and creating practical regional solutions. The Rainforest Foundation US will go to targeted communities and host convenings, and then draw correlations and connections to create a roadmap for all communities to share.
