My name is Tuntiak Katan, from the Shwar community in Ecuador. I represent the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, a partnership of over 1800 indigenous and local communities from tropical forests around the globe, conformed by the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples of the Archipelago (AMAN), the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), and the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB).
We protect more that 400 million hectares of forests – the equivalent in size to the entire European Union. If these forests remain standing it’s in large part due to our centuries long resistance against countless attacks.
Currently, COVID-19 is posing yet another threat to our territories -already under siege from miners, loggers and land grabbers. With your support, we will be able to get the communications, food and medical resources necessary to protect ourselves, so we can continue to guard the forests of the planet, protect the wisdom of our elders, and raise our voices on behalf of Mother Nature.
Your donations will contribute to relief efforts to guard us against the impacts of COVID-19 on indigenous and local communities in tropical forests around the world. With your contribution, we can:
If you prefer to donate directly to any of the regional organizations, click on their locations to go directly to their local fundraiser
You can also support the
work of the Guardians of the Forest by buying photography prints made by indigenous and local photographers or supporters of the movement. All the profit of the prints will go directly to the fundraiser of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities
“Only when our land rights are guaranteed, can we protect our people,” says Levi Sucre, a leader of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Forest Peoples, AMPB. Their communities have managed to close the borders and guarantee food sovereignty for up to two years, where the public policy favours their autonomy.
Indigenous and local communities of tropical forests have been continually fighting for land rights, direct funding and respect for our traditional knowledge. During the pandemic, our struggle is more important than ever. “We fear what we have always feared, and our fears have grown now that the world’s eyes are entirely focused on the pandemic”, says Dinamam Tuxá, of the Indigenous Peoples Articulation of Brazil, APIB, as the illegal invaders of their lands continue to put at risk a way of life that could hold the key for a better future of humanity.
