Ana Lucía Araujo Raurau – Whitten Research Fund 2024-25
Ana Lucía Araujo Raurau
Clark University
Winner of the Norm and Sibby Whitten Research Fund 2024-2025
Are Indigenous Territories enough for Indigenous peoples? Exploring land scarcity among Indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon
Indigenous Territories (ITs) in Amazonia have gained recognition for their vital role in securing Indigenous Peoples’ land rights and preserving forest cover. However, recent studies reveal complex sustainability challenges emerging within ITs that threaten Indigenous Peoples’ livelihoods and their territories’ long-term viability. Among these challenges, land scarcity—the diminished access to land suitable for traditional agricultural practices—has emerged as a critical concern. I moved away from typical neo-Malthusian approaches that attribute resource pressure to population growth and inadequate management. Instead, this exploratory study investigates how environmental and forest access constraints derived from the design and implementation of Indigenous territories contribute to land scarcity experienced by Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon. The Ucayali basin serves as area of study, where Indigenous communities have been allocated very small territories, are highly vulnerable to flooding events, and face the expansion of State-led forest conservation regimes. The study employs a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews and oral history collection with State bureaucrats, Indigenous federation leaders, and local community authorities. The findings will help to refine the scope of a broader doctoral project and advance a nuanced understanding of the sustainability challenges facing Indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon.
