2010 Annual Report
Expanding community ownership for a sustainable future
Traditional communities throughout the world are claiming their territorial rights and gaining control over land and resources.
In many regions of the world—from the forestlands of Indonesia, Mexico, Central America and the Amazon Basin to the grasslands of China, India and Eastern Africa—the poorest rural residents live in communities where commonly held resources are essential sources of both food and income. Without official recognition of their traditional rights, communities have little recourse when government or corporate interests attempt to seize their land and resources.
We support partners worldwide whose pioneering efforts are helping to secure the rights of communities to land and natural resources, reduce global poverty and protect the quality of the environment. In Brazil, for example, the New Social Cartography Project of the Amazon (in Portuguese, PNCSA) works with communities throughout the Amazon region to map their territorial claims, document their uses of the land and its resources, and raise awareness among groups that qualify for land rights under Brazilian law. The mapping process offers residents an unprecedented resource for defending their rights to the land, being involved in decisions regarding its use, and maintaining their role as careful, long-term stewards.
Internationally, the work is contributing to an emerging understanding of traditional land rights and how local communities can be part of a more balanced and sustainable approach to development in the world’s remaining natural regions.
Learn about our Expanding Community Rights Over
Natural Resources initiative »
Visionaries Awards
To mark our 75th anniversary, we are honoring extraordinary leaders working on the frontlines of social change.
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Alfredo Wagner Berno
de Almeida Coordinator
New Social Cartography Project of the Amazon
Manaus, Brazil
Alfredo Wagner is helping communities use technology to bolster their rights over their own territories and resources.
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