A global exchange driving solutions
This space brings together a global exchange process driven by GTI PIACI, with the methodological support of Solutions Insights Lab, connecting experiences from South America and Asia to strengthen the protection of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI).
Through interviews with Indigenous leaders, specialists, and key actors, the process articulates knowledge from the ground—from monitoring to advocacy—with an action-oriented global perspective.
The findings presented here reflect patterns and tensions identified in the field regarding which strategies are working and what the most urgent challenges are. This space functions as a repository of solutions that provides inputs for decision-making, international cooperation, and the effective protection of PIACI.
Why does it matter?
Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) have sustained their existence for centuries, but today they face a situation of defenselessness and vulnerability caused by increasing pressure on their territories.
In South America, there are at least 188 recorded PIACI groups, present in nearly half of the Indigenous territories (125 million hectares), although only 60 have official recognition. The limited visibility, weak protection, and scarce investment in research, including the non-recognition of 128 groups, highlight a critical gap between available knowledge and action.
These territories are also strategic for the climate: they host at least 36% of intact forests and can contribute more than 30% of the mitigation needed by 2050. In the case of PIACI, they cover between 34 and 60 million hectares of some of the best-preserved ecosystems on the planet.
Extractive pressure increases the risk of forced contact—with potentially irreversible consequences—and environmental contamination. Evidence from already contacted Amazonian peoples shows high levels of mercury exposure (up to 45% in children of the Munduruku people), suggesting equal or greater risks for PIACI.
Protecting PIACI is, at the same time, a rights priority and a key strategy for global climate stability. Responding to this challenge involves identifying and scaling effective solutions from the territory.
Solutions from the territory: what is working
The interviews reveal consistent patterns regarding the main threats and responses in the protection of PIACI. These findings synthesize learnings from the ground with direct implications for policy, funding, and climate action.
Territorial protection as a starting point
The protection of PIACI depends on the integrity of their territories, currently under pressure from extractive activities, infrastructure, and illegal economies operating with political and financial backing.
Field monitoring, international advocacy, and transnational coordination are proving to be effective strategies to strengthen territorial protection and drive changes in public policy.