Instituto Socioambiental, Brazil

Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) is a Brazilian NGO founded in 1994 with the mission to propose and promote solutions to social and environmental issues with focus on defense of the environment, cultural heritage, human rights, indigenous people and others traditional communities in Brazil.

ISA develops programs and campaigns in partnership with several other organizations, and is an institution of reference in the socio-environmental theme in Brazil.

Among its founders, important names of Brazilian anthropology stand out, such as Carlos Alberto Ricardo, Eduardo Viveiros de Castro and Isabelle Vidal Giannini.

Since 2001, ISA has been an Oscip – Civil Society Organization of Public Interest – with headquarters in São Paulo (SP) and subsidiaries in Brasília (DF), Manaus (AM), Boa Vista (RR), São Gabriel da Cachoeira (AM ), Canarana (MT), Eldorado (SP) and Altamira (PA).

The ISA is structured in programs that are based on the following lines of action:
Defense of socio-environmental rights
Monitoring and proposing alternatives to public policies
Research, dissemination, documentation of socio-environmental information
Development of participative models of social and environmental sustainability
Institutional strengthening of local partners

The Xingu Program wants to contribute to the socio-environmental planning of the Xingu River Basin, considering the significant socio-environmental diversity that characterizes it and the importance of the 28 million ha protected area corridor that includes Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units along the Xingu River .

The Vale do Ribeira Program aims to contribute to the construction of a regional development model based on the socio-environmental richness of the Atlantic Forest. In partnership with local quilombola associations, municipal governments and civil society organizations, it proposes and implements projects for sustainable development, income generation, conservation and improvement of the quality of life of traditional communities in the region.

The Rio Negro Socioambiental Program promotes and articulates processes and multiple partnerships to build a cross-border socio-environmental responsibility platform shared by the sustainable development of the Rio Negro Basin in the Amazon Northwest. This region has an extension of more than 80 million hectares. The Rio Negro and Rio Branco basins (71 million ha) are shared by four countries (Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela).

The theme of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil of ISA is a national reference in the production, analysis and dissemination of qualified information about indigenous peoples in Brazil.
Since the beginning of the 1980s, it has maintained research on Indians in Brazil, as well as an extensive network of contributors who contribute information and articles to printed publications and to the sites of the theme.

The Social and Environmental Law and Policy Program (PPDS) aims to promote public policies and ensure the implementation of rights that guarantee an ecologically balanced environment and dignified living conditions for indigenous and traditional populations. He acts in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, proposing legal actions, preparing analyzes and studies, disseminating information, accompanying and intervening in the drafting of bills, participating in civil society forums and international conferences.

The Program for the Monitoring of Protected Areas produces, systematizes and provides information on Indigenous Lands (TIs), Conservation Units (UCs), military lands, Incra lands, garimpeiras reserves and other lands of public interest. It monitors the legal situation, demographic, governmental projects, environmental characterization and enterprises in ITs and UCs. The highlights are the sites of Eye in the Indigenous Lands and Units of Conservation in Brazil.

Administration: Area responsible for ISA’s administrative and financial management, with headquarters in São Paulo and reference teams in Brasília, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Manaus, Boa Vista, Altamira, Eldorado and Canarana.

Communication and Relationship: ISA’s Communication and Relationship area has been looking for innovative ways to show people the seriousness of today’s socio-environmental challenges, and to point out creative ways to change

Institutional Development: An activity that aims to improve the ability to flow internal and external information, through updated and appropriate systems for collecting, processing and managing information regarding commitments and contractual obligations. It also aims to facilitate the permanent entry of resources through support for project design, negotiation with donor institutions and reporting.

Documentation: Support area that serves the ISA teams as well as external demands. It has in its archive more than 20 thousand books and documents, more than 100 thousand digitized news and audiovisual collection.

Geoprocessing: Geoprocessing is a permanent activity that involves the production, updating and dissemination of cartographic information and development of geographic information systems (GIS), for the purposes of monitoring and elaboration of socioenvironmental diagnoses of indigenous lands, conservation units and other areas of interest socio-environmental.

IT: It is a permanent activity that combines the routines necessary for the operational maintenance of the ISA’s computerized systems, in conditions appropriate to the needs of the work teams, improving them from the incorporation of new programs and equipment that make the operations more efficient and streamline the activities of internal and external communication, the management of databases and access to information.