14/08/2026
🌿 Under the concept of Kawsak Sacha, the Living Forest, the Kichwa People of Sarayaku embrace a philosophy and framework for action that seeks to ensure balance and harmony among all beings that together constitute the forest: from the mycorrhizae of underground fungi to the stones in the rivers; from ancient ceiba trees and great felines to human beings.
🌱 Through the cultivation of chakra, monitoring local flora and fauna, passing on ancestral knowledge to younger generations, and developing a coordinated strategy for international advocacy, this Indigenous People of the Ecuadorian Amazon protects the integrity of its territory, strengthens its governance system, and keeps its culture alive, exercising its right to self-determination in the face of multiple pressures and threats.
🌎 Twenty-five Indigenous leaders from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Peru experienced this approach firsthand as part of the Intercultural Training Programme on Rights-Based Conservation, the result of a partnership between IUCN, Yale University and Indigenous organisations from across Latin America.
The programme seeks to strengthen Indigenous leadership in territorial governance and rights-based conservation through the exchange of experiences, peer learning, and the creation of networks and connections among Indigenous Peoples across the region. 🤝
Following the in-person component in the territory of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku, the programme will continue with nine virtual modules, through which participants will deepen their knowledge of topics including Indigenous diplomacy, territorial monitoring and control, and the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to climate action, among others.
The programme is delivered by Yale University, through its Environmental Leadership & Training Initiative (ELTI) and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice (YCEJ), in partnership with IUCNand representatives of Indigenous organisations from across Latin America. It is financially supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the European Union.
Unión Europea en Centroamérica UICN América del Sur Embajada de Suecia en Guatemala/Sveriges ambassad i Guatemala Unión Europea en Guatemala Embassy of Sweden in Bogotá
