{
  "id": 5185422,
  "title": "Michael Painter put Indigenous land rights at the center of conservation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/michael-painter-put-indigenous-land-rights-at-the-center-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-02T22:12:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mongabay",
    "slug": "mongabay",
    "url": "https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/michael-painter-put-indigenous-land-rights-at-the-center-of-conservation/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the Bolivian Chaco region, the Isoceño Guaraní people did not require conservationists to inform them that their land was facing threats. With agricultural expansion encroaching upon their territory, their organization, the Capitanía de Alto y Bajo Izozog (CABI), possessed its own territorial objectives. To aid in transforming these claims into legally recognized rights, external experts provided scientific knowledge, legal assistance, financial support, and access to institutional resources. Collaborating with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), CABI formulated the proposal for Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park, established by Bolivia in 1995, encompassing an expansive area of 3.4 million hectares. As the co-administrator of the park, CABI played a pivotal role. The partnership also facilitated a mechanism for securing Indigenous land rights under Bolivia’s agrarian reform legislation. Consequently, 273,000 hectares were granted to the Ayoreode community, 560,000 hectares to the Isoceño Guaraní, and additional land was allocated to 43 Chiquitano communities. According to WCS, this process established precedents for Indigenous land titling initiatives in other parts of Bolivia. In 1997, Michael Painter joined WCS as the director of the Kaa-Iya project. For an ecological anthropologist, the project's significance was undeniable. Conservation efforts did not necessitate isolating land and compelling surrounding communities to cooperate. Indigenous organizations could effectively serve as conservation partners with territorial aspirations, political interests, and indigenous knowledge. For an organization like WCS, a primary function often involved bolstering these groups' capacity to engage with governments, corporations, donors, and fellow conservationists. Painter's involvement in this endeavor underscored the critical role Indigenous communities can play in conservation initiatives.",
  "summary": "In the Bolivian Chaco, the Isoceño Guaraní did not need conservationists to tell them that their land was under pressure. Agricultural settlement was pushing into the region, and their organization, the Capitanía de Alto y Bajo Izozog (CABI), had its own territorial aims. What outsiders could provide was scientific expertise, legal support, money, and access […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Mongabay",
        "title": "Invaders storm Indigenous Amazon land, threatening isolated people",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/invaders-storm-indigenous-amazon-land-threatening-isolated-people",
        "published": "2026-09-02T17:05:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}