Results that Speak for Themselves

In 2021, corrupt actors laid claim to two-thirds of the Wounaan community of Aruza’s territory and the Government of Panama canceled Aruza’s application for ownership of their land. Soon after, Aruza's leaders were receiving maps from government officials showing more than 2/3rd of their territory was no longer theirs, and logging trucks started to roll through their community. Three years later, Wounaan have effectively reclaimed their land, and Aruza has resubmitted their title application to all 8,000 hectares of their land. Here's why.

Soon after learning Aruza's application to their lands was denied, Native Future convened a series of meetings with Wounaan National Congress authorities, Aruza leadership, Panamanian advisors and international allies, such as Rainforest Foundation US, to identify and develop a more robust and integrated strategy to protect Wounaan territories and reclaim the full territory of Aruza to its rightful owners.

The integrated strategy applies Wounaan expertise in territorial monitoring, and employs Indigenous legal counsel, to collect evidence and collaborate with the Government of Panama's environmental authorities to enforce their laws. By the end of 2023, Panama’s investigation into illegal logging and land grabbing in the Darien found the 73 property claims to Aruza's territory were illegitimate and corruptly gained. By July 2024, Aruza had resubmitted their collective title application, and today, thirty-six cases of environmental damages in Wounaan territories are being investigated by Panama's Ministry of Environment and Environmental Prosecutors office. These results underscore the importance and power of the territorial monitoring program in protecting Wounaan lands and communities as their collective titles are processed.

Your support makes a difference! Eight thousand hectares of tropical forest on the edge of Darien National Park may have been deforested and lost to Wounaan for good, if Native Future hadn't been able to step up our support to the Wounaan National Congress legal and territorial monitoring team. Thank you!

Still, this powerful model of collaborative environmental protection in Indigenous territories needs to be tightened up and shared with more Indigenous communities. The US State Department-funded project, that was canceled this year, was doing just that. We've been able to partially recuperate this project via a grant from Panama' Green Fund, and the rapid response of partners Otterfonds and the Mycorrhizal Fund. However, the project is still $200,000 short over the next two years, which means training of additional territorial monitoring teams will not take place. We're working to bridge the gap and strengthen Indigenous communities to protect their natural resources.

Our deepest gratitude to the Biome/ICFC, Mycorrhizal Fund and Rainforest Foundation US for supporting Wounaan Land Rights. Thank you!