With the occasion of ACT’s 25th anniversary, Maria del Rosario Chicunque—Charito, the formidable leader that some of you have met—and I want to share the wonderful, glorious, painful, and ultimately extraordinary path that led to the creation of ASOMI, the Association of Indigenous Women, and their private reserve in Colombia. ASOMI’s headquarters is aptly called La Chagra de la Vida, or the Garden of Life. As with all gardens, it nourishes us with blessings of food, beauty, and joy, but it needs proactive tending and weeding in return—never-ending tasks that can give us scrapes, blisters, and scars.
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Amazon Conservation Team (ACT), junto con la Universidad del Amazonía, continúan en su proyecto “Vive y convive”, en el que buscan defender a los animales carnívoros en el departamento del Caquetá, en Colombia, que tiene la mayor tasa de deforestación del país. Esta iniciativa busca busca vincular a las comunidades campesinas de la zona en la defensa, no sólo del jaguar, sino de cientos de especies de fauna y flora que habitan este departamento, que es la puerta a la Amazonía colombiana.
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The success of the Shamans and Apprentices program was just the beginning of the pioneering biocultural conservation work that ACT has gone on to do. In the spirit of supporting communities in their own efforts — as opposed to implementing foreign, top-down initiatives — ACT sought to secure culturally appropriate means for human and environmental wellbeing, and increase recognition of indigenous culture and self-determination. In this way, we were able to merge the strengths and tools of the Western world in a way that complements but doesn’t dominate the ideals and goals of the local community.
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Tortugas Preciosas de Osa has released 32,219 baby turtles of three different species, reduced predation and nest theft by 60%, and established a baseline of the biology and ecology of these species in danger of extinction in one of the most biodiverse places in the world. As if that were not enough, during this time we have discovered that this location is one of the most important for hawksbill turtle nesting in the Pacific region of Central America.
Continue » Tortugas Preciosas de Osa has released 32,219 baby turtles of three different species, reduced predation and nest theft by 60%, and established a baseline of the biology and ecology of these species in danger of extinction in one of the most biodiverse places in the world. As if that were not enough, during this time we have discovered that this location is one of the most important for hawksbill turtle nesting in the Pacific region of Central America.
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Since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, there were rumors from rubber and animal skin traders about the presence of peoples who took shelter deep in the adjoining forests. These are peoples who avoid all forms of contact with the surrounding society.
Continue » Since the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, there were rumors from rubber and animal skin traders about the presence of peoples who took shelter deep in the adjoining forests. These are peoples who avoid all forms of contact with the surrounding society.
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El presente texto cuenta la historia de la fundación de Yachaikury. De las problemáticas más desastrosas, la comunidad inga del Caquetá tomó la oportunidad para tomar decisiones por su propio bien. De esta, nació la fundación de la escuela Yachaikury, una escuela con etnoeducación que plasma los saberes tradicionales indígenas junto con la educación regular. Esta, por encima de las escuelas tradicionales, le trae autonomía a las comunidades y memoria de sus tradiciones.
Continue » This text tells the story of the founding of the Yachaikury School. Faced with disastrous problems, the Inga community of Caquetá took the opportunity to make decisions for their own well-being. From this, the foundation was laid for Yachaikury, a school that pairs traditional indigenous knowledge with standard education. This brings autonomy to the communities and memory of their traditions.
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This text is a journey through the thoughts of Flora Macas Zhigue, the director of the Yachaikury School. It describes the long path of the institution, the people and institutions that have accompanied it on this path, and the way she has educated her students. It also recounts, through her experiences, the philosophy behind the institution, and what has been achieved through it.
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