After the Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries, where communities were expelled from their lands in favour of sheep, legislation was brought in to give people secure tenancies, called crofts, to protect them from being cleared from the land again. In 2007 the Crofting Reform Act opened up the traditional crofting model to […]

“If not us, who will protect our territories? Who will manage our territories?” Indonesian Indigenous Youth called their fellow brothers living in the cities and finished their studies back to the community. They called it the ‘Homecoming movement. Youth are driving new models of sustainable rural development, creating organic vegetable gardens, herbal medicine gardens and […]

Update: April 2021 The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines announced on April 20, 2021 that they would accept a complaint against Pluspetrol, a multinational oil firm headquartered in an Amsterdam mailbox. The decision gives Indigenous communities in the oil fields of the Peruvian Amazon a path for seeking remediation from Pluspetrol […]

The community of Lago do Mainá have lived with the forest and the river, nature for them is the most fundamental thing they have. However a military training base and increasing incursions by soldiers created tension between the community and the army. Through the use of social mapping the people of Lago do Mainá have […]

Wildfires may grab headlines but indigenous peoples and local communities who depend the Amazon face many different threats. Not only are their territories targeted for illegal extractive activities such as gold mining and deforestation but without clear land titles their situation remains legally precarious. But more than this – indigenous peoples and local communities offer […]

Results of a new scientific study show that indigenous peoples using remote sensing technology can better survey their lands and reduce deforestation by half. Under the community-based forest monitoring program, called Rainforest Alert, indigenous scouts combine satellite imagery with foot patrols to verify evidence and equip community leaders with the information they need to take […]

Having lived for millennia in the forests of the ‘Amazonian Trapezoid’, today the Amacayacu National Park, indigenous communities there are now treated as an obstacle to conservation. Their rights have been systematically violated since the National Park was created in 1975. In April 2015 the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism signed an agreement to […]

In a rapidly dwindling community forest the people of Pandumaan & Sipituhuta have put up a strong fight to stop the growth of monoculture eucalyptus plantations. But the aggressive actions of the company & its close alignment with local politicians & the police have led this struggle down a dark path – protests, intimidation, arrests […]

Imagine communities and land-owners being paid by the government to protect their forests & natural resources? Costa Rica is the only tropical country in the world that has reversed the process of deforestation through a unique fuel tax law that impresses the importance of protecting the environment & helping develop communities.

The indigenous people of Sungai Utik, a Dayak Iban community in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, have maintained a strong traditional connection to their forests despite continuous pressure from logging and palm oil companies intent on taking their land. Their forests remain intact and their traditional values are keeping their community together. If we want to keep […]

As part of the Residency Program, Peregrino recently worked on his second documentary while contributing to the media coverage of COP16. Through his lens, he captures the resilience, leadership, and cultural richness of Indigenous Peoples, offering a powerful narrative that bridges tradition and modern advocacy. In this feature, Peregrino shares his journey, experiences from the field, and the lessons he’s learned while using storytelling as a tool for change.

Welcome to the Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Storytellers Blog Series: Storytellers for Change. In this first feature, we’re proud to introduce Noveni Usun, a talented communicator and member of our multimedia team. Noveni has been at the forefront of documenting key moments during COP16, Climate Weeks, and community-driven events, offering a unique perspective that blends cultural […]

Jimmy Piaguaje, an Indigenous filmmaker from the Siekopai nation in Ecuador, has emerged as a powerful voice in the field of Indigenous cinema, using the camera as a means to spotlight his community’s struggles to preserve their territories and culture. In this interview, we explore his journey, his recent projects, and how his participation in […]

“This year has been one of the most exciting and challenging of my life. Embracing my new journey into motherhood intensified my commitment to climate justice. The call to Hollywood ignited my passion to continue advocating for oceans, coral reefs, and my Raizal community.”

Interview by Yurshell Rodriguez –  Indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) announced the projects selected for their first Development Lab for Projects by Indigenous Latin American Filmmakers. This innovative laboratory will take place as part of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, an initiative that FICM has […]

This is the first part of the blog series about “Indigenous Imaginarium Experience Diary”, written by Yurshell Rodriguez. She is an Indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. Learn more about her experience during the Indigenous Imaginarium, A gathering of Indigenous Creatives with Hollywood Industry to re-imagine our climate futures, held from February 28 to March 7, 2023, in Los Angeles, US.

Whether you live in a tropical forest or a global north city, we all belong to the same planet, the same future. We belong to the same global village. In the global village to which we all belong, climate change and environmental injustice are inextricably  linked to the struggles of communities and peoples underrepresented in […]

This is the last part of four blog series about “Stockholm+50 Experience Diary”, written by Elizabeth Swanson Andi. She is an indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. Learn more about her experience during the event Stockholm+50, held on the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2022. Stockholm+50, well I still have many […]

This is the third part of four blog series about “Stockholm+50 Experience Diary”, written by Elizabeth Swanson Andi. She is an indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. Learn more about her experience during the event Stockholm+50, held on the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2022. During the afternoon, I was invited […]

This is the second part of four blog series about “Stockholm+50 Experience Diary”, written by Elizabeth Swanson Andi. She is an indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. Learn more about her experience during the event Stockholm+50, held on the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2022. While documenting the “Leadership Dialogue 1: […]

This is the first part of four blog series about “Stockholm+50 Experience Diary”, written by Elizabeth Swanson Andi. She is an indigenous impact storyteller, photographer, and part of the INUTW team. Learn more about her experience during the event Stockholm+50, held on the 2nd and 3rd of June, 2022. I remember his voice “kawsak sacha, […]

Almost unthinkable and now it’s a reality. by Eli Virkina Image: Tirza Ixmucané “Kawsawnguichu” are you alive? an elder greets, “kawsawnimi” I am alive, I reply. “kawsawnchimi” we are alive. This way of greeting in my Kichwa language is vastly disappearing, yet the paths our ancestors, grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles have left for us […]