State of the Rainforest 2014

Brazil: Where indigenous peoples plan their own future In the state of Acre in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon, all indigenous lands are titled and recognized by the state. The long- term security this provides has allowed the indigenous population to develop systems for resource management based on their own culture and traditions, while also incorporating new needs and aspirations. The programme has created an arena where different indigenous groups share their knowledge about cultivating practices, discuss problems related to resource use, and learn new agroforestry practices. Thanks to the work of the agroforestry agents, new species, including highly valued fruit trees, have been introduced in the roçados, and degraded areas have been restored.

´For the past 15 years, the state government of Acre has supported a policy where the value of forests has been recognized and where great efforts have been made to achieve sustainability’, explains Marcos Catelli Rocha, who works at Comissão Pró-Índio do Acre (CPI-Acre). Acre has a long history of strong social movements who support forest conservation. Comissão Pró-Índio do Acre, the Indigenous Teachers’ Organization of Acre (OPIAC), the Organization of Indigenous Forestry Agents in Acre (AMAAIAC) and associations representing the indigenous territories have all been central actors in promoting public policies for sustainable forest-based livelihoods. Restoring ancestral lands The rainforests of Acre have since time immemorial been inhabited by indigenous peoples, and the forests and landscapes have co- evolved with their societies. A central management practice was the “roçados”, temporary cultivated spaces with high genetic variation. Due to the eviction of people from their lands, enslavement, and internal land conflicts, people either abandoned their “roçados” or stopped cultivating plants that grow slowly. With recognized territories, they now know they can stay, and the practice of making “roçados” for cultivating different types of plants and species has gained renewed strength. Living in geographically defined territories has brought new challenges, however. Illegal logging, drug trafficking, road construction, cattle ranching and expansion of agro-industrial production put pressure on the surroundings. Population growth combined with new expectations and desires among the younger generations result in pressure on the territories’ resources. In the villages, people have started discussing how they can control and manage their territories in viable ways, based on their own culture but also satisfying new needs. Francisca Oliveira de Lima Costa, the president of OPIAC, explains: ‘You know, we do not live in isolation. We also depend on things produced outside the territories. New children are born, they need food. We know we are rich in resources, but we have to be careful so we do not end up generating scarcity. Plant nurseries, where we can produce for sale on a small scale, is an example of how we can get income to buy what we need.’

Time for indigenous governance Apriority for the indigenous organizations, CPI-Acre and also for Acre’s government the last decade has been to map the indigenous territories and develop resource management plans (MAP 1). The indigenous management plans form part of the state’s land-use plan, where the territory of Acre is divided into geographical zones: indigenous and traditional peoples’ territories, forest conservation areas, production forest for timber and other products, and areas for agriculture. `The management plans are the expression of how we want to live. The old ones, the pajées [shaman/wise men], the families, women and men, the school children and teachers have all been involved in developing these plans. They show the resources we have in our lands, and establish the rules we, the inhabitants of these lands, have agreed upon. Each plan is different, and it is important that the different natural environments and the autonomy of each indigenous group are taken into account´, says Francisca Oliveira de Lima Costa. `In the development of the management plans, education and the role of the indigenous agroforestry agents have been central´, adds Josias Pereira Kaxinawá, the president of AMAAIAC. `We are now 159 indigenous agro-forestry agents who belong to 13 indigenous groups. Each territory has its own agents working in the villages. Together with the villagers, they have mapped natural features of the territories, how the families use existing resources, and resources and areas which are under pressure´ (Photo 1 or 2). The maps and the plans are important instruments for the governance of the indigenous territories. Francisca and Josias agree that the policies of the Acre government’s have been favourable for these processes. The government created a fund for elaborating management plans and for implementing projects defined in these plans. The indigenous agro-forestry agents received scholarships for several years. However, implementing the management plans has also posed challenges. `The state institutions in charge have tended not to take existing management plans properly into account, and not sufficiently involve the communities and the agro-forestry agents. In the territory of my people, the Arara, the government started projects that we have never agreed to. And just as in other territories, those projects failed, notes Francisca. For instance, chicken were distributed to all indigenous

As a response to these concerns, OPIAC and CPI-Acre initiated the Education Programme for Indigenous Agroforestry Agents in 1996.

44

STATE OF THE RAINFOREST 2014