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AmazonGISnet: 1996 to 2024
Initiatives to Empower Amazonian People with the Application of GIS
Introduction
The initiative AmazonGISnet started in 1996 with the aim of helping and applying GIS in a very sensitive environment in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador. Our work has been carried out during the past three decades and continues strong. Our contribution rests in learning from seven indigenous nations that spatial thinking is a common denominator within a world of cultural diversity and differences
Ecuador has a piece of the Amazon full of wonders
Objectives
The process of translating metaphors of wellbeing and wealth into concepts of spatial information has shown from the beginning to be a critical challenge in order to empower a systematic approach of implementing GIS for the communities with two main purposes:
defending their territories against external threats, and responding in an organized manner to a changing world
Ecuador is a relatively small country, but full of wonders and diversity
The Andes presence at the Equator makes it a unique place
The Ecuadorian Amazon is still vast forest and the home to 11 indigenous nationalities
At the ground level the work is done in long hikes and navigating in rivers
A group of young technicians carefully selected by the community, with the coordination of their leaders started to work on their own digital spatial infrastructure and gaining experience on mapping their territory from their own point of view, merging their local knowledge with the current geotechnologies
Our work
We can briefly mention a few examples of our work:
Domingo navigating in his territory
- GIS land management and territorial defence from the indigenous perspective Circunscripciones Territoriales for autonomous decision making
- working from the ground up
- involving local technicians and leaders at all levels of the planning process
- completing the formal process to propose their own perspective
- Our effort was recognised at the international level
Esri 2016 UC: Making a Difference Award
We build the Amazonian Atlas, with all the 11 nationalities in the Ecuadorian Amazon and their territories
...starting with their own names for the landmarks and features in the map
...followed up by a proper demographic study of the communities and their people
...and how their forest has changed due to extractive activities that do not benefit the communities
"Agua Segura" Project for Raiz Ecuador Foundation
- Public health cadastre, fresh water supply in contaminated areas by the oil industry
- Supporting in the location of the most needed places
- Identifying the polluted areas to avoid contaminated sources of water
SE4Amazonian
- Sustainable Energy 4 Amazonia
- connecting isolated communities based on their self-assessed demands
- plan for now and 5 years in the future (current and future demands)
- helping on applying for implementation funding of the proposals
Developing and applying the GEOfarmer application in our data collection
- Defence against threats of deforestation, oil and mining industries and socio-cultural alienation in the Amazon
Deforestation in the Northern Amazon
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- Remote sensing techniques to derive areas of deforestation and models to prevent forest degradation
- Ground truthing applications to help validating the observed results
- Map the extent of the current and future oil blocks and mining concessions in the Amazon coinciding with indigenous territories and protected areas
- Strenghtning the cultural practices and traditions
New technicians under training
- Training local technicians and building capacities within the communities for risk and natural disaster management.
- A new generation of technicians is being trained with a more proactive inclusion of female young leaders
- GIS basics training tailored to their needs and interests is currently our main priority to contribute to their future
- Preparation for disaster management based on collected information at each community
Our invitation
AmazonGISnet
- Continue learning about the work we do with the local communities in Ecuador
- Help spreading the word about the importance and vulnerability of the forest and indigenous territories in the Ecuadorian Amazon
- Contribute with your ideas to strengthen the endeavour of young GIS leaders in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador and beyond
- Visit us in Ecuador, volunteer and help us continuing with our on-going projects.
Leo Zurita-Arthos. leo.zurita@team.unigis.net
Richard Resl. richard.resl@team.unigis.net