Organizations denounce transactions without consultation that impact life in villages on the Brazil-Colombia border: "we have become guardians of the forest"
The daily lives of the Tukano, Kotiria (Wanano), Desano, Tariano, Piratapuia and other peoples who inhabit the Uaupés River and its tributaries, in the Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Land (TI), in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, have been impacted by the carbon credit sales contract between Colombian indigenous communities and the Swiss company South Pole. Considered one of the largest consultancies in the carbon market, the company's portfolio includes the controversial Kariba project in Zimbabwe, which was the subject of a series of complaints by international newspapers due to its lack of transparency and unfair transfers of resources to African communities.
Four Brazilian indigenous associations from the Uaupés and Papuri rivers reported to the Socioenvironmental Institute (ISA) the insecurity they have been facing since their “Colombian relatives” closed a carbon credit agreement on the border in the Cabeça do Cachorro region, in the Northwest Amazon. Drones flying over communities, farms, fishing areas and the surrounding forest have become as common as the flight of Amazonian birds.
“The communities started complaining in 2022 that there were too many drones, that they were being monitored. That’s what they couldn’t understand: what were these drones and why were they doing this monitoring?” asked a Tukano leader from the Association of Indigenous Women of the Iauaretê District (Amidi), which has been working for more than 20 years to defend indigenous culture and territory in the Médio Rio Uaupés region, on the border between Brazil and Colombia.
Fear and misinformation at the border
The indigenous people initially did not know why the drones were flying over the region. Fear and rumors spread that they could be drug traffickers or guerrillas. Later, it was discovered that the drones belonged to the company South Pole, which was monitoring the indigenous communities in order to determine whether the forest was being burned to clear crops. — ancient practice for the subsistence of communities. The indigenous plantations of Rio Negro make up the Traditional Agricultural System of Rio Negro (SATRN), which are also Intangible Cultural Heritage listed by Iphan.
Read also
ISA launches new episode of the animation series “Carbon: what you need to know”
Brazilian leaders said that there had never been any official communication from Colombian associations, the South Pole company or the Colombian government about the carbon projects on the border. The problem became more acute when Colombian indigenous people began to invade the farmland on the Brazilian side, as they were prevented from planting and leading their traditional way of life. “Our Colombian relatives told us that they are now guardians of the forest. They can no longer plant crops and receive money to buy their food from outside,” commented one of the leaders, Kotiria, from the Association of Indigenous Communities of the Rio Waupés Acima (Acirwa).
Leader Kotiria of the Association of Indigenous Women of the Upper Uaupés River (Amiaru) said that people in her community began to believe that they would be expelled. “First, I was very scared. Some said that they were going to take our homes from the community.” The leader said that after participating in some assemblies and meetings called by the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of the Rio Negro (Foirn) on the subject, with the presence of lawyers, the community became calmer and aware of their rights. “On the Brazilian side, we will not sign anything without free, prior and informed consultation,” emphasized the representative of Amiaru, referring to the Consultation Protocol for the Indigenous Peoples of the Rio Negro.
Lack of transparency
The negotiation process between the company and Colombian indigenous people took place without transparency or consultation with the communities, according to Brazilian leaders and the hearing conducted by Foirn's legal team in the region. "Everything was done without community dialogue, only with negotiations involving a few families," commented Foirn's lawyer. Brazilian leaders report that Colombian indigenous people are worried about the future of the communities, since they can no longer farm their land and the funds they receive are also not enough to support themselves. "What we know is that the contract was not good for the Colombian relatives and some of them regret it," reported the Acirwa leader.
“The largest Colombian communities that are invading Brazilian farming areas are Ibacaba, São Joaquim and Igarapé Inambu. In Alto Papuri, the communities of Santa Maria, Los Angeles and Acaricuara are coming to farm on the Brazilian side,” explained the Tukano leader of the Alto Rio Papuri Indigenous Communities Association (Aciarp).
Listen! Fifth episode of “Voices of Climate” discusses safeguards to guarantee rights in carbon credit projects
In the Colombian community of Ibacaba, one of those involved in the carbon credit transaction, the Kotiria indigenous people can no longer grow crops. Old agreements between the Kotirias of Brazil and Colombia regarding the use of traditional territories for growing crops are no longer in force. This has led to conflicts and uncertainty regarding the future of the communities and the permanence of the population, since the contracts are long-term, according to the indigenous leaders. “Our ancestors used to work well together, but now this carbon situation is getting in the way. The Colombians are also Kotirias, they speak the same language as us. We live in the same culture,” lamented the Acirwa representative.
Brazilian indigenous communities on the border with Colombia claim that carbon trading with Colombian communities on the Uaupés and Papuri rivers has had a tremendous negative impact on their indigenous way of life. Farming is more than just a source of food; it is the basis of indigenous culture. Without farming, there is no life in the community. For Brazilians, there needs to be a transparent dialogue between Brazilian and Colombian authorities about carbon projects on indigenous border lands.
“Each Colombian community received an engine and a speedboat when they negotiated the contract. These speedboats and engines were for them to coordinate the area. Later, they received a chainsaw, a water tank, solar panels, and batteries. These are the materials they received. That’s why we’re worried. If the Colombians are going to continue working this way with the companies, the same thing could happen to us. The companies are disobedient, they could come into Brazil and want to work this way. In my opinion, we have to defend ourselves and have a clear position,” warned the Tukano leader of Aciarp.
In this region of the Brazil-Colombia border, movement between indigenous people is free and the use of indigenous territories on both sides is governed by community agreements between peoples who speak the same language and have the same culture, as is the case of the Kotiria and the Tukano. For many years, coexistence between Brazilian and Colombian indigenous people in this region has been peaceful and with extensive exchange.
Carbon Cowboys
Carbon market experts, such as the Talanoa Institute for Climate Policy, warn of the growing number of conflicting projects arising from negotiations involving emerging companies nicknamed “carbon cowboys”. According to an investigation by the legal department of Foirn, an indigenous federation that represents grassroots associations in the region, the company South Pole is responsible for the project that has been causing negative impacts on these communities, called “Proyecto REDD + de Los Pueblos Indígenas del Vaupés Yutucu e Otros.
The Swiss company South Pole is involved in one of the biggest controversies regarding the negotiation of carbon credits with traditional communities, in the Kariba project, in Zimbabwe, as reported the British newspaper The Guardian in March of this year. The Kariba project is estimated to have raised over €100 million since 2011, but the communities involved have not benefited fairly from the funds. Complaints have also been made by the investigative journalism agency Follow the Money, by the leading German newspaper, Die ziet and by the magazine The New Yorker.
Colombian Amazon
In the Colombian Amazon, South Pole is developing three REDD+ projects in the departments of Uaupés (Vaupés or Waupés) and Amazonas, two of which are registered and validated on the Verra certification platform, according to the Diagnosis of REDD+ Projects in the Colombian Amazon, carried out by the Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Cientificas, from Colombia.
This document reveals that South Pole is developing the largest REDD+ project in Colombia, which is being developed in another protected area in the Putumayo region. This project is valid for 30 years and covers an area of 3.824.920 hectares, equivalent to 65,62% of the reserve area.
The Yucutu and Others project, which has been impacting Brazilian indigenous communities in the Alto Rio Negro Indigenous Territory, is valid for 20 years and covers an area of 850.062 hectares, which is equivalent to 21,69% of the area of the Great Vaupés Reserve in Colombia, according to the diagnosis mentioned above. The project's impact area includes 74 Colombian indigenous communities.
The total area of projects implemented by South Pole in Colombia amounts to 4.806.513 hectares, which is equivalent to 9,94% of the area of the Colombian Amazon and 20% of the area available for REDD+ in its reserves. This number makes South Pole the largest implementer of REDD+ projects in Colombian Amazon reserves, according to the Amazon Institute.
The voluntary carbon market has expanded rapidly in Colombia and according to data from the Renare Platform - National Registry for the Reduction of Emissions and Removal of Greenhouse Gases, there are a total of 51 REDD+ projects in the Colombian Amazon, nine of which are already in the implementation phase, concludes the Diagnosis on REDD+ projects in Colombia.
Read also
Senate approves bill that creates formal carbon credit market in the country
For everything
Faced with reports of rights violations and distrust regarding the veracity of local carbon projects, the National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (Funai) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) have positioned themselves with clear recommendations that Brazilian communities do not enter into contracts until criteria and guidelines are defined for the inclusion of Indigenous Lands in the carbon market.
The important question to ask is: are local carbon projects really solutions to combating climate change or just greenwashing? (greenwashing) to enrich opportunists?
“To this end, it will be necessary to consider safeguards, the risks involved, governance structures, legal certainty, potential benefits for indigenous peoples and, above all, the contribution of these projects to mitigating the effects of climate change,” wrote Funai in an official note in April of this year.
Last August, the MPF issued a recommendation to suspend all operations, contracts and ongoing negotiations on the subject of carbon credits and the Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) model, which affect indigenous and traditional territories, with or without definitive land regularization, in the state of Amazonas.
“The document recommended that the commercialization of carbon credits, in Brazil or abroad, be suspended. This information should be forwarded to all stakeholders involved in ongoing negotiations and discussions, whether initiated or completed – from community members, leaders, companies and national or international institutions – so that they are aware of and can adopt the recommended measures,” reported the MPF on its official website. However, last September, the National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office requested by way of a preliminary injunction that the recommendation of the Amazonas MPF be suspended, stating that such a measure exceeds its powers.
ISA contacted the company South Pole to obtain information about the project, but had not received a response by the time this publication was published.
* The names of the indigenous leaders interviewed were not mentioned as a measure to protect the source.
Learn more about the topic with video series on the carbon market, carried out by ISA.
And follow the episodes of the audio bulletin "Voices of the Climate", from ISA, which aims to provide information to indigenous and quilombola peoples and traditional communities on issues related to the climate agenda.
Loading