Hacking to protect the Amazon

January 9, 2015

New technologies have the power to change lives in powerful and creative ways. Hivos supports social initiatives that employ ICT technologies for social good, such as the Jakarta Open Data Challenge (#HACKJAK) and the Cuyahuani 2.0 Ayamara hacker community project. This time, we have joined efforts with Digital Democracy to empower marginalized communities in the Amazon to use technology to defend their lands and their rights.

‘Hack the Rainforest’ is a project that aims to create technology tools to help indigenous leaders from Ecuador and Peru to protect their territory against environmental contamination.

Hack the Rainforest’s first major activity consists of a hackathon that will bring technologists, mobile app developers and passionate civic-hackers to the Peruvian Amazon. The objective is to create a mobile data collection app to support indigenous environmental monitors working to document oil contamination, illegal logging and human rights abuses.

Across the Amazon, indigenous people face multiple threats, including oil contamination, pollution from mining, and deforestation. Indigenous communities working at the frontlines to protect the Amazon rainforest need tools to help them protect their land.

A hackathon is a sprint development event where developers, technologists, entrepreneurs and other innovators work together to address specific challenges. Hackathons are being used more and more often for social good.

The Hack the Rainforest hackathon will be held in Tarapoto (Perú), from the 7th to the 11th of February. If you want to join the project as a volunteer, you can find the application form and more information about the project on this website: Hacktherainforest.org.