The Network of Forest Peoples set up antennas and equipment to connect eight isolated Brazilian communities and 30 offices to the Internet with the aim of making them agents of environmental defense. The network won a commitment from the government to extend connectivity to another 150 indigenous, Afro-Brazilian and river communities in the Brazilian interior.

Set up in 2003, the Network only accepts communities approved in an evaluation during a seminar in which they prove “clear and strong cultural identity”, Joao Augusto Fortes, a co-promoter of the endeavor, told Tierramérica.

Once connected, these communities receive training and then can quickly report land invasions, deforestation and other crimes against them and the environment. They also can disseminate their culture, develop eco-tourism and export their “sustainable products”, said Fortes.