Mothers of the Amazon
Executive Director
Lebanon
Offer
I have been working closely with Indigenous Peoples since 2010 in the Amazon Rainforest and have built many relationships built on trust, respect and a profound understanding of the many environmental, cultural, political and socio-economical challenges these communities are facing and will face in the coming decade. The Indigenous have given me a name, the Toucan :)) And when asked why, I was told, I have the ability to track potential dangers coming and like a Toucan, and I alert them before the danger comes. I believe my unique ability is to foresee and anticipate plausible futures over the next 10 to 15 years, using scenario planning as one of my main tools. A strategic tool developed by the American army to make wars that I love to apply to design more sustainable and regenerative futures in order to prevent the further environmental contamination of the rainforest and the health of its Indigenous communities. As an architect, I love developing sustainable models that can be replicated and scaled and I have applied this process of thinking to develop an Indigenous-Led Rainforest Conservation Model that seeks to protect some of the most biodiverse areas on our planet and the largest population of Uncontacted communities in the world who defend it, unifying 9 different Indigenous Peoples behind this project.
NEED
The biggest challenge I face on my mission is to change the culture in the nature conservancy sector and large non profit organizations dominated by the international trust fund model for landholding. This model often fails to prevent mining and deforestation. And to help implement a paradigm shift toward recognizing and restoring ancestral lands to Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous communities have proven to be the most effective stewards of these lands, safeguarding them against exploitation and preserving primary forests. At the heart of this challenge, lies bridging trust between Indigenous Peoples and funders who fear that their contributions might be not serve their intent to ensure long term conservation.
Call-to-Action
As we enter, phase 2 of our Indigenous Led Rainforest Conservation Initiative, we intend to support the creation of an Indigenous Federation that will hold all 14 endangered biodiversity hotspots we have identified and have been monitoring in collaboration with the University of São Paulo, the Global Institute for Peace, and several Indigenous organizations in Brazil. We are seeking to create a healthy, sovereign Indigenous organization that will be led by Indigenous leaders, elders, representatives and institutions from 9 different Peoples. I am hoping that the One Earth community will help weave, connect and foster the right alliances and support needed to accomplish this task so that together we can protect some of the most biodiverse areas on earth and the largest population of Uncontacted Communities in the world.
