The Earth Defenders Toolkit is a collection of apps that support local autonomy of Indigenous lands, giving communities ownership of critical data and reducing the need for outside support.  The toolkit, which includes mapping apps like ‘Mapeo,’ keep the needs of Indigenous communities at the forefront, overcoming barriers inherent to technology, like participation and security.  […]

Dawn Martin-Hill, a professor at McMaster University, introduced Terrastories, a geo-based storytelling app, to the Haudenosaunee people of the Great Lakes to help them protect their land and water as well as safeguard invaluable knowledge. A main goal of her work is to empower and support Indigenous youths, and she has also helped create a […]

Since the launch of the Earth Defenders Toolkit, a number of people have suggested that it would be nice to have a space for us to regularly share about work being done across the globe. We have our forum, but folks are also interested in having a regularly scheduled phone call, where we could have […]

Global Voices interviewed Rudo Kemper, geographer and a program manager at Digital Democracy, via email, who explained different aspects of the toolkit.

On July 21st, Digital Democracy, Natural Justice and Oxfam hosted the Africa Forum for Earth Defenders. This two-hour virtual event brought together over 120 participants, primarily earth defenders from across the African continent, to share stories of work they are doing on the frontlines, and highlight new tools and strategies that help put power in the hands of local communities.

We recently shared an overview of the global launch event for Earth Defenders Toolkit which happened on July 14th. This week, we’re diving into some of the testimonies shared at the event by our partners.

By Caitlin Looby on 2 August 2021. Crossposted from Mongabay. The Earth Defenders Toolkit is a growing collection of apps, resources and blogs where Indigenous peoples and their allies can come together to connect and mobilize. The goals of the toolkit are to support local autonomy, allowing Indigenous communities to maintain ownership of data and reduce the […]

Across the African continent, local communities are working together to protect their forests, savannas, deserts and coastlines from external threats and extractive industries.  On July 21st, Natural Justice, Oxfam and Digital Democracy are co-convening the Africa Forum for Earth Defenders, a two-hour virtual event to bring together frontline defenders from across the continent to share […]

"In preparation for the public launch of the Earth Defenders Toolkit to the public, we convened a special focus group session about the Toolkit at the 2020 Virtual Indigenous Mapping Workshop, and I’m delighted to share with you some of what we learned..."

Today, in tandem with the Indigenous Mapping Workshop, the Digital Democracy team is excited to announce the Earth Defenders Toolkit, a collection of open-source tools and training materials for communities on the frontlines of the struggle to defend critical ecosystems around the world.