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Indigenous Brazilians Map the Amazon
FrontLines - November 2009
By Héctor R. Cerpa
BRASÍILIA—The people of the
Paiter/Suruí indigenous tribe
made contact with modern civilization
40 years ago. Now, with
the help of USAID, they are
teaming up with Google Earth to
map the Amazon—and limit
deforestation.
Google Earth and USAID
partner Amazon Conservation
Team are working with
the Metareilá Indigenous
Association of the Paiter/Suruí
in the northwestern Brazilian
state of Rondônia to develop
new technologies for forest mapping
and management.
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In April, Paiter/Suruí ethnic group members met at the
headquarters of the Metareilá Association in Cacoal, where
indigenous leaders received training from Google Earth Outreach
to map forest resources on their ancestral land
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Chief Almir Suruí, leader of
the Paiter/Suruí, inspired the project
when he traveled to California
in 2007 and met with Google
Earth officials. During his visit,
the chief learned how to conduct
Internet searches, post YouTube
videos, and use Google Earth
tools—skills he brought home to
his people.
The Paiter/Suruí are believed to
have first encountered non-Indian
people during the construction
of the 2,000-mile Trans-Amazon
Highway in the 1970s. Since
then, they have struggled against
cultural and environmental degradation.
Because loggers, miners,
and ranchers surround their territory,
Paiter/Suruí leaders hope that
technology from Google Earth will
help monitor disruptive activities
of those infringing on their land, as
well as raise awareness about rain
forest destruction.
By end of this year, tribal
members will begin to use solar
chargers, android cell phones,
and an Open Data Kit—Google’s
suite of tools that, among other
things, run survey forms from a
cell phone to collect and manage
data (including text, GPS location,
photos, video, audio, and
barcodes) to map the forest.
Using Google Earth and
satellite data, the Paiter/Suruí
hope to become better informed
about forest resources, protect
the forests, and participate in
negotiations related to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and
preventing deforestation.
Ultimately, their aim is to
reforest 7,000 acres of ancestral
land and access the international
carbon market. They are
also inventorying the forest to
develop baselines and hope to
attain “gold” status by meeting
rigorous standards for biodiversity,
conservation, and community
involvement as well as
obtaining carbon offset credits.
This initiative will help
to meet the objectives of the
Declaration of Cuiabá, which
calls for legal mechanisms to
protect the rights of traditional
forest dwellers and rewards
them for their efforts to conserve
and restore the forest and to
use resources in a sustainable
fashion. Seven Amazon regional
governors signed the declaration
in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil,
in early April.
As part of its support for the
initiative, USAID helped build an
office headquarters for the Paiter/
Suruí association and contributed
to development of the Suruí
Forest Management Plan.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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