The Kandozi community is making progress in registering its territory as a TICCA to strengthen its governance and conservation
Following agreements adopted at the February community assembly in Musa Karusha, representatives of the Kandozi people, together with CORPI SL and partners, are making progress in the process of registering their territory under the international TICCA recognition scheme.
Following the assembly held on 3 and 4 February in Musa Karusha, where nearly 200 authorities and leaders from 54 communities of the Kandozi people agreed to promote the recognition of their territory as a TICCA (Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities), the process is moving forward with concrete actions.
In this context, a working meeting was held on 17 April in San Lorenzo, at the offices of CORPI SL. Members of the monitoring committee tasked with supporting the process, together with representatives of the Kandozi people, indigenous organisations and technical partners, worked on completing and validating the questionnaire required for TICCA registration.
This is the first step towards recognition as a territory of full life that contributes to conservation. It is important to emphasise that TICCA recognition highlights the work of indigenous peoples as key actors in biodiversity conservation, based on their own governance systems and their historical relationship with the territory.
© Nature and Culture International
The event brought together the monitoring and support committee established in February, which comprises representatives of the Kandozi people, CORPI SL, the Kandozi Autonomous Territorial Government (GTAK), as well as representatives from Nature and Culture International (NCI), the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). This committee ensures compliance with the roadmap, the rights-based approach and the self-determination of the people. The organisation Law, Environment and Natural Resources (DAR) also joined the event.
During the meeting, the president of CORPI SL, Elaine Shajian Shawit, emphasised that this process stems from the indigenous peoples’ own decision and reflects a long history of territorial defence. In this regard, she emphasised that recognition as a TICCA will raise the profile of the ancestral practices that the peoples have upheld for generations: “We have always protected our territory and, with the choice of TICCA, this will now be brought to the fore.” She also noted that this step involves projecting that care into the future, reaffirming the responsibility of new generations in the continuity of these processes.
For his part, the president of the Kandozi Autonomous Territorial Government, Pedro Kuvi, reaffirmed the continuity of this collective commitment, noting that “our grandparents and we, the peoples, have managed and conserved this territory, and now we will continue to do so”.
© Nature and Culture International
During the workshop, participants organised themselves into groups and worked together to complete and validate the sections of the TICCA questionnaire, which include information on the territory, its forms of governance, as well as the identification of threats, opportunities and support needs.
This tool aims to highlight key aspects such as the community’s connection to its territory, its organisational systems and its contribution to conservation. Furthermore, issues related to free, prior and informed consent and agreements on the use of information were addressed.
© Nature and Culture International
The Kandozi people also highlighted the importance of strengthening their organisation to ensure the care of the territory. This was expressed by Guillermo Sundi Akumbari, a Kandozi leader and member of the board of directors of CORPI SL, who noted that “we consider our territory to be our home, and our home must be organised. If we do not conserve our resources, we cannot speak of food security or a future for the next generations”.
The closing of the event reaffirmed the commitment of the indigenous organisations and their allies to continue strengthening this process, which seeks not only the recognition of the Kandozi territory, but also to consolidate its governance and ensure the continuity of their ways of life, knowledge and ancestral practices that underpin the conservation of the Amazon.
This event was held with the support of the BLF Andes Amazon Project, funded by UK International Development through the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund, led by Practical Action and implemented by a consortium comprising AIDESEP, Nature and Culture International and WWF.
© Nature and Culture International
