Posts by Brian Hettler
Mapping with Indigenous and local communities to help protect the Amazon
Brian Hettler, a geographer and cartographer with the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), works with Indigenous communities in South America on participatory mapping initiatives that support indigenous land rights and rainforest conservation. Maps are more than collections of geographic coordinates or lines representing roads or country borders. They can be an expression of a community’s culture, territory, and…
Read MoreCrafting Conservation Stories: 2023 StoryMaps Competition Q&A
Living Territories: Stories of Territorial Justice
Join the Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) for stories of the ways in which our work to improve territorial rights empowers communities to better manage and preserve some of the world’s most critical ecosystems. (2023, English) Read more
Read MoreCombating Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon Rainforest With Maxar’s High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
25 Years of Biocultural Conservation
Strengthening Indigenous Land Rights in Colombia
In Santa Marta, Colombia, earlier this year, preparations began for a series of expeditions into the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. More than a dozen teams—each composed of indigenous peoples and western professionals—prepared their gear for weeks-long trips into the remote mountains.
Read MoreThe Amazonian Travels of Richard Evans Schultes
Explore the magical landscapes and indigenous cultures of the Colombian Amazon through the travels of the legendary ethobotanist Richard Evans Schultes. (2018, English and Spanish)
Read MoreUsing Satellite Technology to Protect Isolated Tribes in the Amazon Rainforest
A field team from ACT traveled to the Curare – Los Ingleses Indigenous Reserve in the Colombian Amazon in July to assist local communities in the creation of a detailed management plan for their rainforest territories that integrates western and traditional perspectives to achieve sound conservation practices. Amazingly, this remote reserve has spearheaded national efforts…
Read MoreDeforestation Hotspots in the Colombian Amazon, Part 3: Chiribiquete – Macarena
This report investigates the Chiribiquete – Macarena deforestation hotspot, where new roads are threatening the expansion of Chiribiquete National Park. (2018, English and Spanish)
Read MoreDeforestation Hotspots in the Colombian Hotspots, part 2: La Paya, Putumayo
This report focuses on a deforestation hotspot surrounding La Paya National Park in the Putumayo Department of Colombia. (2017, English and Spanish)
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