The Endorois have been the traditional custodians of Lake Bogoria and the Siracho Range in Kenya for over half a millennium. This region holds profound spiritual and cultural significance for their community. Their deep connection to the land and extensive Indigenous knowledge systems have been vital to preserving biodiversity and maintaining harmony for generations. However, in 1973, the Endorois faced forced displacement from their ancestral lands without consultation or consent to create the Lake Bogoria National Reserve. Despite a landmark 2010 African Commission ruling declaring their eviction illegal, implementation of justice remains limited. This displacement, combined with climate change impacts, threatens not only their physical well-being but their entire cultural fabric and spiritual identity.

The Morokodo are one of sixty-four recognized ethnic groups in South Sudan, with approximately 40,000 people primarily located in three counties of Western Equatoria. Speaking the Morokodo language of the Nilo-Saharan family, they maintain their livelihoods through farming, fishing, beekeeping, hunting, and small-scale livestock raising. The community faced severe challenges during Sudan’s 21-year civil war and subsequent conflicts in 2013 and 2016, resulting in destroyed infrastructure, limited education access, and inadequate health facilities. In their region, HIV prevalence reaches 6.8%, with limited access to treatment and testing services.

The Guaraní and Kaiowá (Pai-Tavyterã) are Brazil’s second-largest Indigenous group, with 50,000 people primarily in Mato Grosso do Sul. Their culture, dating to the 5th century CE, centers on tekoha—the place where they can fully realize their way of being through social, economic, and spiritual practices. Traditionally semi-nomadic with sustainable agricultural practices, they maintain strong community structures guided by spiritual leaders and preserve their Guaraní language. Since the 19th century, colonization and land exploitation for yerba mate and agriculture have displaced them from ancestral territories. Currently, many live in overcrowded reservations while others engage in retomadas—reoccupations of traditional lands. They face restricted land access, inadequate healthcare and education, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and violence from agribusiness operations. Land conflicts continue with reports of attacks and intimidation. Despite these systemic challenges, the Guaraní and Kaiowá actively fight for their territorial rights, maintain their cultural practices, and work toward securing their future through their deep connection to the land and strong community resilience.

The Kokama people number 19,052 in Brazil (SIASI/SESAI, 2020), primarily along the Solimões River in Amazonas. The Kambeba have approximately 1,500 people in Brazil. Both groups faced colonization, forced displacement, and extractivist pressures that led many to temporarily suppress their Indigenous identity. Since the 1980s, both peoples have led strong cultural and identity revitalization movements, encouraged by Indigenous rights recognition in the 1988 Constitution. The Kambeba have gained prominence in regional politics through their capacity for negotiation with Indigenous groups, government agencies, and broader society. As skilled fishers and agriculturists, they maintain traditional economies while adapting to contemporary realities. The Kokama preserve practices like ajuri (collective work) where they share pajuaru (fermented manioc drink), demonstrating enduring community bonds. Both groups cultivate manioc, yam, sugarcane, and fruit trees using traditional methods. Their territories are crucial for the Upper Solimões River ecosystem’s ecological balance. However, climate change now brings prolonged rainy seasons and unprecedented droughts, while deforestation increases forest fires, directly impacting their lands and traditional practices. Both peoples actively engage in political movements to secure land rights, healthcare, and culturally appropriate education, demonstrating remarkable resilience in maintaining their cultural knowledge and practices despite ongoing external pressures.

The Karipuna people inhabit a 153,000-hectare Indigenous territory in Rondônia, bordering Porto Velho, Nova Mamoré, and Guajará-Mirim. After facing near extinction from disease during first contact in the 1970s, they have demonstrated remarkable resilience in protecting their territory and culture. The Karipuna maintain a profound spiritual connection with their forest, viewing it as a mother they must protect. Their territory also shelters groups living in voluntary isolation, adding to their responsibility as forest guardians. Their traditional practices are intrinsically linked to forest preservation—they depend on its resources for food, medicine, and cultural activities. Community members practice sustainable resource management, asking permission before harvesting and taking only what they will consume. This reflects their deep understanding of ecological balance and traditional knowledge systems. However, their territory faces severe threats. The Karipuna Indigenous Territory ranks among Brazil’s most deforested Indigenous lands, with deforestation rates significantly increasing since 2018. Nearly one-third of their territory is threatened by invasions from illegal loggers and land grabbers, while surrounding areas have been cleared for cattle ranching. Despite these pressures, the Karipuna continue their role as forest guardians, fighting to preserve both their cultural heritage and one of the Amazon’s critical ecosystems through their traditional knowledge and active territorial defense.

The Cofán are an Indigenous community native to the Amazon rainforest regions of Ecuador and Colombia. For centuries, they have thrived in vast, biodiverse territories, which they sustain through a deep connection to the land, guided by traditional ecological knowledge. The Cofán have a unique language, A’ingae, which reflects their rich cultural heritage and intricate relationship with the forests. As stewards of their environment, the Cofán place cultural significance on preserving the land and water systems. Their territories include crucial headwaters that feed into major Amazon tributaries, impacting biodiversity across the region. However, the Cofán’s way of life has been profoundly affected by encroachment from extractive industries—especially illegal gold mining, oil exploitation, and deforestation. These activities have not only threatened their lands but also introduced toxic pollutants, such as mercury, into water sources critical for the Cofán and neighboring communities. Despite securing legal recognition of their territories, the Cofán continue to face limited autonomy over land management, with Ecuadorian government authorities often retaining control over protected areas within Cofán land. The resilience of the Cofán is seen in their active efforts to confront these threats, safeguard their culture, and protect biodiversity.

Each of these initiatives stands as a powerful testament to community-led solutions: in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the Narakajmanta reveal the sophistication of their ancestral water management systems, essential for climate adaptation. In Lovongai, twelve clans preserve irreplaceable knowledge of integrated land and sea stewardship through innovative documentation work. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Indigenous patrols protect over a million hectares of rainforest, demonstrating the effectiveness of traditional territorial defense strategies. In Bismarck and Cordova, communities reclaim and strengthen millennial health and food practices, rekindling their connection to wisdom that sustained their peoples’ wellbeing for generations. In North Kivu, Indigenous women’s organizations address critical health and safety challenges, with Focus Droits et Accès advancing menstrual and reproductive health and dignity for Batwa women and girls, while APEDH empowers the Kumu community through holistic approaches to combat gender-based violence and promote sexual and reproductive health rights.