I use GPS to find the nearest coffee shop or to figure out which way is north.

The Wapichan people of the small coastal country of Guyana use GPS to map out, monitor and protect their native lands.

I feel like they win in the “who’s using it more effectively” contest.

Over the past few decades, Wapichan communities noticed that corporations began to encroach on their lands.

Dam and mega road projects began to rip apart and disrupt various ecosystems.

Land was wholesale seized from some communities for agribusiness and other industries to develop.

Deforestation grew as loggers took down tree after tree.

Commercial interests opened up mines, leading to pollution and destruction of resources.

The Wapichan first started to fight for legal recognition of their lands in the late 19th century when colonization meant the introduction of diseases and slavery.

In 1992, 17 Wapichan communities banded together to form the South Central People’s Development Association (SCPDA) to formally fight for their rights, promote community resilience and protect cultural heritage.

Image: SCPDA

At the heart of their struggle is a “living digital map,” which gathers inputs from hundreds of different data points from “field investigations, smart phones, GPS units and a community drone.”

This map allows the community to know in real-time when certain areas are under threat and how to effectively allocate resources. It also allows the group to back up calls for intervention with hard data.

The map is yet another example of a formerly oppressed group leveraging technology to collectively organize and take action.

The 17 communities have signed 100 intercommunity agreements for sustainable management and development of forests, mountains, savannahs and wetland ecosystems.

Image: SCPDA

The SCPDA has grown into a model of self-governance in an ecologically rare, diverse and fragile environment, overseeing areas such as health, food security and financial sustainability.  

First and foremost, they work to secure and bolster land rights from the Guyana government.

The SCPDA provides lessons on cash crops, livestock and fisheries. It also provides lifestyle training on issues such as hygiene, nutrition and cooking.

It conducts malaria spraying and teaches young people how to use computers or the basics of certain professions such as brick making.

The group recently won the UN’s prestigious Equator Prize for its “socio-ecological resilience.”

Guyana is home to vast biodiversity. It has one of the largest populations of Leatherback turtles in the world. The country’s rivers teem with fish and its trees teem with birds. The forests, wetlands and everything else are home to countless plants and animal species.

The World Wildlife Foundation notes that the full extent of the country’s biodiversity is unknown. Much of the country is still untouched.


If it were up to me, I’d keep it that way. And I think the SCPDA agrees.

Editorial

Defend the Planet

Protecting indigenous lands with GPS technology

By Joe McCarthy