The Indigenous A’i Cofán people invoke their ancestors and carry spears but also use drones, GPS mapping and the courts as they fight to protect their land from a rapacious gold rush
With short amulet-covered spears made of blackened chonta palm, GIS mapping phones, walkie-talkies and wearing black and green uniforms, the A’i Cofán seem to merge into the jungle as they march silently down a path through their land.
Calling themselves the Indigenous guard, the 27-strong group patrols a territory of 243 sq miles (630 sq km), stretching from more than 2,500 metres above sea level in the Andean foothills down into the Amazon rainforest.
About Author
More Stories
Dutch climate campaigners vow to take Shell to court again
Australia has been hesitant – but could robots soon be delivering your pizza?
‘So many are devastated’: Trump’s federal firings and their ripple effect