Growing Diversity - Latin America
TITLE OF EXPERIENCE: Management of amazonian genetic resources by Xingú indigenous communities
AUTHOR: Tuiarajup Kaiabi (ATIX) and Geraldo Mosimann da Silva (ISA)
COUNTRY AND REGION: BRAZIL, Xingú Indigenous Park, State of Mato Grosso
ECOLOGICAL ZONE: Transition – savannas and dry forests in the south; Amazon forest in the north
ABSTRACT
In northern Brazil, since 1998 the Xingú Indigenous Land Association (ATIX) and the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) have been working to recover age-old indigenous knowledge on the use and conservation of biodiversity. Their experience has been with the Kaiabi, Yudja, Suya and Ikpeng peoples, who live in the Xingú Indigenous Park (PIX), which covers 2.8 million hectares in northeastern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Park is inhabited by 4,000 indigenous people from 14 different ethnic groups, with various languages and cultures. This cultural diversity is accompanied by tremendous biological diversity as well, distributed in areas of dense forest, extensive grasslands, veredas (Mauritia palm tree bogs, savanna forests, dryland forests and black soils.
Over the past 20 years several factors have hindered the reproduction of local knowledge and food security among indigenous peoples living in the Park. Around the Park lumber extraction, cattle-grazing, mechanized agriculture, hunting and commercial fishing have all expanded. Greater contact between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples has modified eating habits and had a direct impact on cropping systems and the use of natural resources inside the Park. The problems of cultural and agrobiodiversity erosion are clearly expressed in the words of leaders of the Kaiabi ethnic group: "our elders are dying, the youth no longer know how to prepare the food of their ancestors and they do not take care of our seeds. We will lose everything we have."
To face these challenges, the ATIX and ISA since 1998 have worked to recover and promote local biodiversity. Activities to manage local agricultural biodiversity provide food security, while preserving the culture and social organization through the discussion and implementation of in situ conservation of agricultural genetic resources. The capacity building of indigenous leaders is one of the key components of the strategy adopted by the Program to Train Indigenous Agents in Natural Resource Management.
CONTACT: Click here for updated contact details
ATIX - Asociación Tierra Indígena Xingú, Av. Mato Grosso, 668 – 78640-000, Canarana – MT, BRASIL Telfax: 65- 478-1948 E-mail: atx@uol.com.br
ISA – Instituto Socioambiental –São Paulo Office, Av. Higienópolis, 901 – Higienópolis – São Paulo, SP 01238-001 BRASIL, Tel.: (011) 3825-5544 Fax: (011) 3825-7861 E-mail: socioamb@ax.apc.org gerams@socioambiental.org, www.socioambiental.org