In an effort to reinforce territorial and environmental protection and value indigenous peoples protagonism, a new conservation project will be launched in Brazil. The initiative, called Ywy Ipuranguete, aims to strengthen management in 15 Indigenous Lands, totaling 6 million hectares distributed across the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pantanal biomes. These territories are inhabited by 57 thousand indigenous people and possess natural wealth essential for the country’s ecological balance.

Coordinated by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI) and managed by the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (FUNBIO), the project focuses on strengthening sustainable territorial management, as well as expanding the protection of critical areas for biodiversity.

The official launch of Ywy Ipuranguete, which means ‘beautiful land’ in the Tupi-Guarani language, will take place on March 18, 2025, at the Memorial of Indigenous Peoples in Brasília. The event will bring together representatives from the government, funding and executing entities, as well as indigenous leaders from various regions of Brazil.

“The Indigenous Peoples are the true guardians of the forest, and this project reinforces the essential role they play in environmental conservation and combating the climate emergency. With Ywy Ipuranguete, we ensure the conditions for them to continue protecting their territories, their ways of life, and their ancestral knowledge, benefiting society as a whole,” said Sonia Guajajara, Minister of Indigenous Peoples.

The initiative will be executed by the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IEB), with support from the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai). The funding comes from the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), which is part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a family of funds aimed at addressing the planet’s greatest environmental challenges.

“I am delighted that one of the first projects of the GBFF supports the involvement of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the achievement of the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity”, said Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“Supporting Indigenous Peoples in managing their territories means strengthening global biodiversity protection. The GBFF’s investment in this project reflects the international commitment to recognize and encourage this essential role”, said Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairperson of the GEF.

With an investment of US$ 9 million, the initiative will ensure strategic resources for environmental monitoring, strengthening indigenous governance, and generating sustainable income, ensuring that communities have the conditions to protect and manage their territories autonomously and effectively.

“The protection of Indigenous Lands is not just an environmental issue, but a fundamental strategy to ensure a sustainable future. This project represents a conservation model based on indigenous knowledge, which must be valued and strengthened”, said Rosa Lemos de Sá, Secretary-General of FUNBIO.

Ywy Ipuranguete prioritizes the implementation of Indigenous Territorial and Environmental Management Instruments (IGATIs), such as Territorial and Environmental Management Plans (PGTAs), which are fundamental to ensuring the sustainable use of Indigenous Lands.

IGATIs are mechanisms that put into practice the National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Lands (PNGATI), ensuring indigenous participation in governance and decisions about their territories. Built collectively, these plans guide land management, respecting the cultural, environmental, and economic specificities of Indigenous Peoples and the areas where they live.

Main actions of the project

• Monitoring and territorial protection – Expansion of community infrastructure, use of drones and radios to reinforce security and improve surveillance against invasions and environmental crimes.
• Sustainable economic development – Support for indigenous productive chains, such as bio-jewelry, native fruits, nuts, and other socio-biodiversity products, as well as facilitating access to the Food Acquisition Program (PAA) and other public programs.
• Training and cultural appreciation – Training of young people and women for leadership and territorial management, encouraging participatory governance and strengthening traditional knowledge.
• Food sovereignty and environmental restoration – Support for the implementation and strengthening of sustainable agricultural practices, respecting the cultural and territorial realities of indigenous peoples to ensure food security and ecological recovery.

The initiative will be conducted with the protagonism of indigenous communities, who will play a central role in defining strategies and priority actions. Monitoring will be carried out by environmental specialists, ensuring transparency and effectiveness.

For Joenia Wapichana, President of Funai, the project represents progress for indigenous autonomy: “This investment strengthens the autonomy of Indigenous Peoples and ensures that their lands remain protected against deforestation and other threats.”

Furthermore, the initiative will have concrete impacts on income generation and sustainable development. According to Andréia Bavaresco, Executive Coordinator of IEB, “the combination of conservation and sustainable income generation is the way for indigenous peoples to continue exercising their role as protectors of biodiversity.”

About the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (FUNBIO)

The Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity (FUNBIO) is a private national financial mechanism, non-profit, that works in partnership with the government, business sectors, and civil society to ensure that strategic and financial resources are allocated to effective biodiversity conservation initiatives. Since the beginning of activities in 1996, FUNBIO has supported more than 700 projects that have benefited over 400 institutions across the country. Among the main activities carried out are project financial management, design of financial mechanisms, studies of new sources of resources for conservation, as well as procurement and contracting of goods and services. It is the only civil society institution in the Southern Hemisphere accredited both as an implementing agency of the GEF, the Global Environment Facility, and the GCF, the Global Climate Fund.

About the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF)

The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) supports the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The fund aims to help countries strengthen national-level biodiversity management, policy, governance, and resource mobilization, including blended finance to leverage private sector financing. It has streamlined procedures to provide efficient and impactful support for developing countries towards biodiversity goals, with a target of having 20 percent of its funding to support biodiversity action led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. In less than two years, the GBFF had already programmed over $200 million for 40 projects in 41 countries.

About the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) includes several multilateral funds working together to address the planet’s most pressing challenges in an integrated way. Its financing helps developing countries address complex challenges and work towards meeting international environmental goals. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $26 billion in financing, primarily as grants, and mobilized another $148 billion for country-driven priority projects.

About the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples (MPI)

Created in 2023, the MPI is responsible for formulating and implementing public policies aimed at realizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil, for the promotion of well-being. Under the leadership of Minister Sonia Guajajara, it works to promote the social and citizenship rights of Indigenous Peoples; to value, strengthen, and promote their cultures and ways of life; to manage the territorial and environmental aspects of indigenous territories; and to protect the territories and isolated and recently contacted peoples.

About the National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (Funai)

The executive body of Brazilian indigenous policy linked to the MPI, Funai’s mission is to protect and promote the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and also to ensure the territorial protection and autonomy of these populations. With 39 regional coordination offices, it acts in land surveillance, fostering ethno-development, and defending indigenous rights.

About the International Institute of Education of Brazil (IEB)

It is a civil society organization dedicated to strengthening local capacities for socio-environmental management. For over 20 years, it has promoted the training of indigenous leaders and supported territorial governance, focusing on sustainability and valuing traditional knowledge.