Tell us more about the challenge of the project.What is the problem you are trying to solve? Why is the problem significant?

Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are the true custodians of biodiversity. Forget traditional large scale one-size-fits-all solutions — it is time for a radical collaboration with a global distributed community of practice. The world needs a fresh approach to environmental preservation and restoration.

The UN considers Indigenous peoples to be invaluable partners in providing solutions to the climate crisis. With only 7% of investments promised at the COP conferences, reaching Indigenous communities, new structures and alliances are crucial to direct investments to Indigenous peoples and local communities, respecting autonomy, local context and ancestral knowledge.

Reliance on and inefficiency of governmental structures and global investment markets contribute to the problem. Centralized governance frequently results in inefficiencies and mismanagement of resources within government and NGOs structures. While grant funding and government subsidies can be effective in developed countries, their track record in developing nations is mixed.

The lack of support for self governance of IPLCs is like being trapped in a bad relationship — we are unwilling to let them thrive on their terms. While there are countless Indigenous led projects and initiatives the missing piece lies in applying alternative economic models.

The complex web of obstacles for an effective investment flow within the current economic landscape, emphasizes the need for systemic investments and collaborations involving conscious business leaders, investors, and indigenous communities.

Tell us more about the proposed solution of the project.How will it work?

We developed the Cobra Canoa Framework in order to enable systemic investments for Indigenous led restoration while setting up islands of coherence at large scale. Our intercultural team, consisting of Indigenous and non Indigenous members, seeks to create inclusive partnerships with conscious investors and existing institutions, aiming to channel resources directly and effectively to indigenous communities - in line with their needs and priorities.

Through this crowdfunding campaign we are setting up an Action Research project that immediately enables regenerative and autonomous development of Indigenous communities in the Cabeça de Cachorro region (Amazon/Brazil) while we are aiming to

• understand how we are able to allocate funding and other resources directly to IPLCs and their territories for their autonomous projects and development.
• explore systemic and evolutionary restoration and preservation processes that are rooted in trustful partnerships and radical collaboration of conscious alliances.
• map and to mobilize a global ecosystem of allies of traditional communities, unique systemic solutions and valuable regenerative experiences.

During the process we will build a Planetary Well-being Task Force consisting of investors, allies and decision makers in order to work on different scales supporting a global ecosystem of regenerators.

What will be the main activities of the project and how will the resources be applied?

During the preparation of this Action Research project we carry out a series of activities to promote a regenerative and autonomous economy in the Cabeça de Cachorro region in the Amazon. This schedule of phase 1 of the project follows a logical sequence of activities over 6 months:

• Journey and Presentation at the Katapult Future Fest and meeting with prospective investors and allies in São Paulo and Norway - May
• Establishing an intercultural team of Indigenous leaders and non Indigenous professionals - May/June
• Leadership and professional training of Young Indigenous Leaders and University Students that want to return to their communities - June/July
• Developing a Strategy with a detailed execution plan until COP 2025 (Belém, Amazonas) - July
• Expedition Cerrado - Conducting a Learning Journey and Leadership Program. Exchange with 4 other Indigenous nations and foreign partners conducted in the Cerrado - October
• Adaption of strategy and execution plan with the inputs of Expedition Cerrado - November
• Development and Implementation of Pilot Projects in the Cabeça de Cachorro - August till December