Contribution short abstract

This comparative study, based on fieldwork in four communities, examines how Native Community structures and proposals for Indigenous Nations shape territorial control, identifying barriers and opportunities for more just and responsible governance of Amazonian forests.

Contribution long abstract

Indigenous territories in the Peruvian Amazon face growing political, economic and environmental pressures that threaten both community well-being and the integrity of tropical forests. Although Indigenous peoples have long governed their lands, these governance schemes are often misunderstood or marginalized within state-led frameworks. This comparative study examines how different Indigenous governance schemes—such as the organization of Native Communities and emerging proposals for the recognition of Indigenous Nations—shape territorial control, environmental justice and the protection of ancestral lands in Madre de Dios.

This research has been carried out in close collaboration with the Native Federation of the Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD). Together we support a pilot Indigenous Researchers in Training Program, aimed at strengthening the research capacities of young Indigenous people. This partnership allows us to analyze how Indigenous, state and academic knowledge systems interact and influence territorial decision-making.

Based on fieldwork carried out in four Indigenous communities of two Indigenous Peoples, this study identifies the barriers and opportunities that different governance schemes face for a more just and responsible governance of tropical forests. The findings aim to strengthen Indigenous leadership, inform debates on territorial rights, and contribute to political ecology discussions on knowledge, power and self-determination in Amazonian conservation.