Mobilising the community to overcome crises

Photo: Tadeu Jnr on Unsplash

ACCTING aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities, and produce knowledge and innovations to advance behavioural change at individual and collective levels for an inclusive and equal European Green Deal. This bottom-up initiative was collected by Flavio Augusto Lira Nascimento within  ACCTING’s mapping of inspiring practice cases, within the Biodiversity Research Line. Read our report on all 693 mapped initiatives.

ASPERQD, Brazil

Gathering local knowledge for reparation

In 2015, the Fundão Rejects Dam breach in Minas Gerais threw millions of tons of toxic minerals into the river Doce, which were carried through 600 km until Linhares, where the quilombo is located, heavily impacting the area. ASPERQD, Association of Fishermen and Extractivists and Remanescents of Quilombo de Degredo, has thus worked with local inhabitants and indigenous communities, seeking reparations and gathering local knowledge. The community of change-makers has been a mobilizing agent, developing projects striving at socioeconomic and cultural improvement of its members.

The non-profit association was founded in 2004 and has been remarkably successful in reaching its goals with professionalism and by including the community and city officials; the members have a high degree of legal and technical knowledge concerning land use, water, local production, etc.

Keeping the traditions and values of the community alive

The community is officially recognized as a Quilombo (self-governing polities originating from run-away slaves). As such, it has a strong ethnic component when keeping the traditions and values of these ancient communities alive, fostering their symbiotic relationship with nature.

The project is formed by members of the remaining Quilombo family branches and other members of the traditional community, created with several purposes, among them:

• Joining efforts to fight for common objectives while maintaining the traditional identity and preserving local customs.
• Contributing to the socio-environmental, cultural, economic and technological development of its associate
• Promoting the defense of the collective and ethnic interests of the Remnant Community of Quilombo do Degredo.

This initiative can be replicated where disenfranchised ancient ethnic minorities want to claim their ancestor lands and/or areas of activity working in partnership with local and national authorities while having the input of volunteers who qualify their technical and legal knowledge to advance their interests.

Find out more here.

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