Indigenous leaders from three continents gather in Bolivia to exchange experiences on territorial cartography

Indigenous leaders from three continents gather in Bolivia to exchange experiences on territorial cartography

Written on 10 September 2025. Posted in News

More than 40 Indigenous representatives, experts, and organizations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America will come together on Monday, September 15, and Tuesday, September 16, for the International Seminar on the Cartography of Indigenous Territories in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

The seminar will be a space for dialogue and collective learning, aimed at strengthening territorial defense and Indigenous governance through participatory mapping.

Over the course of two days, delegates will share experiences on mapping applied to autonomous territorial agendas, litigation, governance, the protection of Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation, and the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The event will be broadcast live, with the signal carried through the platforms of IWGIA, CEJIS, CENDA, and ORE, extending the debates and reflections to a wider audience across the region and the world.

The program includes panels and thematic roundtables with the participation of leading figures such as Pashpanzhu Vitery Vacacela (IQBSS, Ecuador), Shapiom Noningo (Government of the Wampis Nation, Peru), Alfredo Matareco (Autonomous Government of the Multi-Ethnic Indigenous Territory, Bolivia), Ermeto Tuesta (Visión Amazonía, Peru), Leonardo Simón Loncopán (Mapuche People, Chile), John Samorai Lengoisa (Ogiek People Development Program, Kenya), Ramyk Pheiray (Volunteers for Village Development, India), and Renuka Pradabphuthong (IMPECT, Thailand). Researchers and allies such as Carlos Salamanca (CONICET-UBA, Argentina), Ruth Noguerón (Global Forest Watch), and representatives of RAISG (Amazonian Network of Georeferenced Socio-Environmental Information) will also join the event.

The meeting highlights that maps are not simple geographical representations, but political and cultural tools that express the historical memory and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples. From historical maps to digital cartography and its use in courts, the seminar will highlight how these practices have become a pillar of autonomy and the protection of territories and biodiversity.

The program was designed in close collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Diploma in Cartographic Practices in Latin America, which allowed for the articulation of academic, technical, and Indigenous knowledge in a plural and diverse agenda.

The seminar is organized by the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) in partnership with local organizations such as ORE, CEJIS, and CENDA. It is part of a global collaborative dynamic that unites Indigenous Peoples and allies in the defense of territories.

Join the livestream:
>> Monday, September 15, starting at 8:30 a.m. (Bolivia time)

>> Tuesday, September 16, starting at 8:30 a.m. (Bolivia time)

Tags: Land rights