Suffering here to help them over there
6 juin 2012
The Guaraqueçaba Climate Action Project is a nearly 7,000 ha forest carbon offset project initiative by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Brazilian NGO Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educacao Ambiemental (SPVS). For centuries indigenous Guarani and traditional communities have used the land that is now part of the forest offset project and the surrounding protected areas for fishing, hunting and small scale extraction of palmito. Access to that land has been restricted by the forest carbon offset project and the film shows the effect this is having on local communities.
The project is presented internationally as a model forest carbon offset project in the debate about Reducing Emissions for Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), but it can now be seen as another example of the suffering that can lead from poorly planned conservation projects. As one of the community members explains, “The forest can’t be sold, it’s ours. The others can use it but they need to know how to share it with us, not buy everything and expel us.”
The film was made with the support of FERN who recently released an animation “The story of REDD: A real solution to deforestation?“ which shows that the concerns raised by the community of Guaraqueçaba are widespread. The aim of this film is to allow the communities’ voices to be heard, and to encourage other communities faced with REDD projects to see the issues to watch out for.