forest guardians Archives

Tim van Deursen and Thijs Suijten from Hack the Planet, Wallacy Barreto and Chief Dadá from Treesistance, together with members of the Maró Forest Guardian group.

60 seconds

That is roughly how long it can now take for the Forest Guardians of the Maró Indigenous Territory to know that a vehicle, person or animal has passed one of the main access points into their forest.

In June, the Hack the Planet team travelled to Maró, in the Brazilian Amazon, to install a new generation of instant-notification camera traps together with the local Forest Guardian group. The cameras now monitor strategic access points across the territory. When they detect movement, they capture an image and send it directly to the Guardians through WhatsApp.

A vehicle, a person or even a jaguar can now be seen within moments.

Why real-time awareness matters

Indigenous territorial protection still depends heavily on patrols. The Guardians travel long distances by foot, bicycle, motorbike and boat to monitor access routes, document activity and protect their territory.

But the distances are vast, and patrols require fuel, equipment, time and careful planning. Activity can happen between patrols or at access points that are difficult to reach quickly. In a region where threats can move fast and logistics move slowly, earlier awareness can make a real difference.

The new camera system gives the Guardians an additional set of eyes in the forest. It helps them understand where activity is taking place and decide where further monitoring may be needed. It does not replace patrols or the Guardians’ knowledge of their territory. It makes both more targeted.

Technology in the hands of Guardians

The strength of this system is not just the camera itself, but the speed at which the information reaches the people who know the territory best.

The Guardians already use WhatsApp as part of their daily communication. They can therefore receive, view and share alerts without having to learn a new platform. Hack the Planet installed and tested the system together with the Maró Forest Guardian group. The Guardians remain in control of how they interpret the information and organise their monitoring activities.

And that is important because technology is most useful when it strengthens existing Indigenous leadership, knowledge and protection structures rather than replacing them.

A new step for Maró

The Forest Guardians of Maró have protected their territory for many years through community mobilisation, regular patrols, detailed knowledge of the forest, documentation of suspected illegal activity and engagement with law enforcement and other responsible public authorities. Over time, they have strengthened this work with tools such as GPS devices, cameras, mobile applications and satellite information.

The instant-notification camera traps are the latest addition to this evolving, community-led monitoring system. Faster information from key access points can help the Guardians decide where further monitoring is needed. It also supports more strategic patrol planning and stronger documentation in remote areas.

The project also shows how camera traps in the Amazon can support community-led monitoring without replacing patrols, territorial knowledge or the Guardians’ own decision-making.

The cameras can capture wildlife passing through these access points too, including the occasional jaguar making an unexpected appearance. Their main purpose, however, is to give the Guardians a clearer and more immediate picture of activity entering the territory.

Potential across the Amazon

We believe this type of real-time forest monitoring could become a powerful tool for Indigenous territorial protection across the Amazon.

Every territory is different, and the geography, access routes, risks and priorities must always be defined together with the communities involved. But the potential is clear: when Indigenous Guardians receive faster information, they can make better-informed decisions about how to use limited time, transport and equipment.

Treesistance and Hack the Planet are already exploring how the solution could be adapted for other territories. More soon..

Supporting Indigenous-led protection

This project shows what becomes possible when Indigenous leadership, territorial knowledge and practical technology come together. For donors and partners, supporting this work means more than funding cameras. It means strengthening the ability of Indigenous communities to monitor and protect their own territories over the long term.

The Guardians are already doing the work. Our role is to help ensure they have the tools, infrastructure and resources they need to do it safely and effectively.

Want to know more about the story behind Hack the Planet?
Co-founder Tim van Deursen shares his personal journey in the book Hack the Planet – Jezelf en de wereld verbeteren.

Successful formation new forest guardians group

This July we supported the successful formation of another group of forest guardians. The training involved 3 Indigenous groups: Arapiun, Jaraqui and Tapajo and was carried out in the Cobra Grande, meaning Big Snake, Indigenous Territory. The people of this area are faced with invaders interested in planting soybeans, raising cattle, illegally extracting timber, and engaging in predatory hunting and fishing. Now that the formation of a local group of forest guardians is complete, the Indigenous people in the area now have more tools and knowledge to protect their lands from illegal invaders.

Training new forest guardians

The training was led by the Treesistance Head of Forest Guardians program Chief Dadá Borari and selected members of the Maró Indigenous Territory and was made possible by the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers, who sponsored the formation. More than 50 individuals were successfully trained and are already working in the field.

The training included discussions on safe confrontation techniques, presentations on territorial defense and using technology in the field. Skills that are unfortunately a necessity in an area that has had a troubled history with non-indigenous people trying to exploit their land at the cost of the environment and the Indigenous People that try to defend it.

Group training forest guardians: using technology in the field.

Threats to the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory and People

The Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory is located in the municipality of Santarem, on the banks of the Arapiun River. This river springs from the Tapajos and Amazon river. For more than 20 years FUNAI (National Indian Foundation Brazil) has been working to demarcate the territory. Unfortunately due to circumstances like missing cartographic and land studies the process has taken longer than hoped. Due to this delay in demarcating their lands, the people of the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory are faced with numerous invaders. This caused many conflicts between indigenous and non-indigenous people. So much so that cases of violence and discrimination against indigenous people led the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to request that an investigation be opened by the Federal Police.*

Another problem faced by the indigenous people, with the delay in demarcation, was the creation of an agro-extractive settlement by INCRA – National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, which overlaps their lands. But thankfully that issue is resolved with the delimitation of the Cobra Grande TI, which has 8,906 hectares on the left bank of the lower course of the Arapiuns River.

*Update – On September 5th 2024, the Ministry of Justice signed a decree to formally recognize the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory

Welcome and specials thanks

We welcome the new group of forest guardians and wish them lots of strength and wisdom in the challenges that they face. Also we would like to give a special thanks to the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers for sponsoring this formation.

Tag: forest guardians

Maró Guardians Get Real-Time Alerts