The “WECAN Reforestation and Forest Protection Program: Indigenous Women Restoring and Protecting Brazil’s Amazon and the Heart of the People: Tembé and Guajajara Territories” project addresses critical environmental and social challenges Indigenous communities face in the eastern Amazon region. Through the leadership and knowledge of Indigenous women from the Tembé and Guajajara communities, this reforestation initiative will restore degraded lands of the Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia territories. By improving soil quality and planting native trees, the project will restore biodiversity and strengthen both community and climate resilience. 

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The two Indigenous territories, Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia, located on the eastern side of the Brazilian Amazon, are at a critical juncture where scientists are indicating that the Amazon is already crossing a tipping point that, once surpassed, would transition from a tropical forest into a degraded savanna (Kimbrough, 2022). Facing 30-40% deforestation in some regions of the eastern Amazon, these areas are critical for either climate mitigation or climate crisis intensification. Due to the climate patterns originating from the Atlantic Ocean and traveling across the Amazon Basin from east to west, the warm and dry air resulting from the lack of trees on the eastern edge impacts the entire inner Amazon basin, exacerbating the climate crisis and pushing the inner Amazon region closer to its tipping point. Consequently, the Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia territories act as vital barriers, protecting the inner Amazon from further degradation. Over time, deforestation has severely degraded the soil, posing significant challenges for initial restoration efforts. Thus, soil remediation is one of the first focal points of this project. 

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Women's critical role in environmental protection and defense is central to the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) Women for Forests program. In this context, Indigenous women are essential leaders in reforestation and forest protection, drawing from their Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Their efforts not only combat deforestation and ecosystem degradation but also enhance community resilience. Within this WECAN project, the Indigenous women of the Tembé and the Guajajara communities play a crucial role in leading the restoration of their territories, the Alto Rio Guamá and Arariboia, which extractive industries and large-scale agribusiness have significantly degraded. As guardians of their ancestral lands and community, the Tembé and Guajajara women are vital to preserving biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and ensuring a livable future for the Amazon and us all. 

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This project represents a holistic approach to reforestation and forest protection founded on the leadership and knowledge of Indigenous women and WECAN Women for Forests program analysis, practices, and methodologies. By addressing environmental degradation, economic challenges, and social issues, we aim to build a resilient future for Indigenous communities, the plant and animal life in the Amazon, and people worldwide who depend on a thriving Amazon rainforest.

 

More updates coming soon!​