Introduction
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a critical role in the fight to secure title to ancestral Indigenous lands in the Amazon. They can provide financial assistance and legal representation in court, but new research shows that for groups that do not benefit from this support, the arrival of NGOs may cause more harm than good.
A recent paper, published in Political Geography, highlights how this dynamic has played out in the northern Ecuadorian Amazon. There, with the backing of the NGO Amazon Frontlines, the Siekopai community of San Pablo de Katëtsiaya won title to 42,360 hectares (104,674 acres) of their ancestral land.
Territorial Conflicts
However, the area had long been occupied by another Indigenous group, the Kichwa community of Zancudo Cocha, or Zancudo, which also had deep cultural and spiritual ties to the land but was not included in Amazon Frontline’s efforts. Such unequal support is termed “uneven territorial sponsorship” by the study authors.
It can come from third parties including NGOs, states, religious organizations and others when they support one community at the disadvantage of another that may have a similar ancestral claim to the land. In Ecuador, it has led to tensions between the two communities, with reported incidents of violence and a lack of compromise.
Consequences of NGO Support
Amazon Frontlines helped the Siekopai secure title to the territory by framing their claim in a more non-Indigenous, Western, legal tradition, which defines territory as sovereign, sacred and timeless, according to the paper.
Historically, before the mid-20th century, Amazonian communities saw territorial claims as...
Conclusion
In summary, the support of NGOs can have negative consequences in the allocation of territorial rights in the Amazon, especially when it is not equitable and ignores the claims of other Indigenous communities. It is essential that NGOs and other actors consider the complexities of territorial claims and work to support Indigenous communities in the Amazon in a fair and equitable manner.
Source / Reference: Mongabay