ACT encapsulates its three-step strategy to achieve the protection of indigenous rainforest lands as "Map, Manage, Protect." The first two steps in the process—the execution of ethnographic mapping projects and the design and publication of sustainable land management plans—undeniably have much to offer indigenous communities both in process and product. However, ACT's indigenous partner groups view these primarily as tools toward an ultimate objective: protection of their lands, resources and cultures from external threats.
ACT seeks to enable our indigenous partners to achieve practical conservation results that are compatible with the local realities and needs of their communities. Key to the success of protection initiatives are partnerships formed between indigenous groups and other regional stakeholders, particularly government agencies responsible for monitoring and averting incursions into protected areas. The day-to-day presence of indigenous communities in these areas becomes a critical asset, because they can serve as the "eyes and ears" of governments over large areas where surveillance capacity may be limited or nonexistent.
ACT's Land Protection Strategies:
