From this moment onwards, the Small World Foundation is not only represented in The Netherlands by Heike van Gils, but also in Canada by Javier Diaz!
Javier, currently undertaking a second MSc career in geomatics at the Laval University of Quebec, has been familiar with the south of the Colombian Amazon and its people since 2002, when he conducted the pilot study in the Amacayacu National Park for his first MSc thesis about Amazon otters at the National University of Colombia in Leticia. The people of the communities in the region have always played an important role in Javier’s studies and he has come to realize their important in any conservation effort.
As soon as he learned the details of the activities of San Martin de Amacayacu concerning the recovery of their ancestral territories in order to protect them for future generations, he proposed to dedicate his effort to this cause by adjusting the objectives of his current thesis to the necessities of the community. From June to August this year, Javier stayed in San Martin and contributed incredibly to the development of the digital map of the ancestral lands of the community and to the capacity building of two young community members in mapping techniques and GPS management.
On December the 12th, his plane will once again bring him to this far tropical jungle to continue his labor with the people of San Martin de Amacayacu. Many other plans are in store!
We are currently taking care of the administrative side of the story, such as a Canadian bank account. Until then, please do not hesitate to contact Javier Diaz for further information on how to support the initiatives of San Martin de Amacayacu from Canada: chaquenalt@hotmail.com.
