Indigenous community healer treating a patient in the new Kapai and Aretina Knowledge Guardians Center. Photos by Amanda Lelis

ACT Inaugurates New Indigenous Cultural Center in the Brazilian Amazon

ACT Inaugurates New Indigenous Cultural Center in the Brazilian Amazon

We live in an age of unprecedented global chaos—political turmoil, a seemingly endless cycle of conflict in the Middle East, and wildfires ravaging the Amazon, which continue to rage despite efforts to curb them after the 2019 crisis. Amid this global uncertainty, good news is rare, yet desperately needed. Fortunately, there is a beacon of…

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Rainfall over the Amazon river. Photo by Rhett A. Butler

The Amazon is ablaze again. What it means for us (commentary) – Mongabay.com

The Amazon is ablaze again. What it means for us (commentary) – Mongabay.com

The following article by ACT President Mark Plotkin, responding to the renewed and alarming intensity of forest fires in the Amazon, was originally published on MongaBay.com.  In 2019, the world watched in horror as images of the Amazon rainforest ablaze flooded the news. Over 70,000 wildfires raged uncontrollably, killing wildlife, filling hospitals with patients struggling…

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Rights in the Territory: The Raizal Community 

Rights in the Territory: The Raizal Community 

The Rights in the Territory initiative — “Derechos en el Territorio” in Spanish — has as its objective the effective dialogue of Colombia’s Constitutional court with ethnic communities in the country. The initiative is aimed at the promotion, dissemination and cultural and linguistic adaptation of the most significant decisions of the court benefiting these communities. 

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Young indigenous voices lead the future: ACT-Colombia’s Youth Advisory Board 

Young indigenous voices lead the future: ACT-Colombia’s Youth Advisory Board 

A youth advisory board sponsored by ACT-Colombia works towards the inclusion of younger voices within our partner communities. It convenes nine members of 10 to 16 years of age from across six geographic regions of Colombia where our programs are present.

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Conservation victory in Colombia’s deforestation hotspot 

Conservation victory in Colombia’s deforestation hotspot 

On the shores of the Caquetá River, among tall Amazonian palms and fast flowing waters brown with silt, are three indigenous reserves– Huitorá, Coropoyá and Jericó Consaya. These reserves are home to 138 families of the Murui Muina and Korebajʉ people, who have long assumed responsibility for caring for the life within their biodiverse territory.  

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Richard Kahn, Mark Plotkin, and Liliana Madrigal

Richard Kahn: Sparking the Amazon Conservation Team 

Richard Kahn: Sparking the Amazon Conservation Team 

Richard Kahn was one of those quiet visionaries—a brilliant lawyer and activist with a profound sense of social and environmental justice and a believer in the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics in healing. Truly, a man ahead of his time.   At the end of 1995, Richard, who at the time was a trustee of a family foundation, called to…

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How the heart of the Amazon was protected 

How the heart of the Amazon was protected 

Five years ago, two indigenous territories in Colombia were expanded, establishing a protected area mosaic the size of Virginia.

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Reclaiming the Sacred Sibundoy Valley: A Ten Generation Story 

Reclaiming the Sacred Sibundoy Valley: A Ten Generation Story 

Real, enduring change requires a long-term commitment. The Inga and kamëntsá have resisted and persisted for more than 500 years to protect their culture and reclaim their forests and their most sacred place of origin. ACT will continue to stand alongside them. 

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Clean Cooking in the Colombian Caribbean & Andean Amazon

Clean Cooking in the Colombian Caribbean & Andean Amazon

This project highlights the importance of considering cultural factors in clean cooking initiatives, offering a sustainable solution that respects local traditions and promotes healthier cooking practices in Colombia’s rural regions.

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Biocultural restoration at Jaba Tañiwashkaka 

Biocultural restoration at Jaba Tañiwashkaka 

Understand how the Kogui people reclaimed access to the sea and restored nature at a coastal sacred site through our new blog about Jaba Tañiwashkaka.

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