360º Virtual Reality: Indigenous Knowledge as Evidence for the Climate Conversation
Asociación Sotz'il | FCPF
Countries: Guatemala | Costa Rica | Chile
Scope: Regional | Global
Year: 2023
01
CONTEXT
In climate and forestry debates, territories often appear as "data" and communities as "beneficiaries." However, Indigenous Peoples hold knowledge, practices, and forms of governance that are direct contributions to conservation and climate action.
In 2023, within the framework of FCPF implementation with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, a format was required to make this contribution visible in the first person: a tool to bring not only results but situated knowledge to technical and decision-making spaces. To achieve this, an immersive experience was built alongside leaders and communities of the Maya (Guatemala), Bri Bri (Costa Rica), and Mapuche (Chile), placing their voices and perspectives at the center.
02
CHALLENGE
Translating territorial knowledge and experiences into an immersive narrative that maintained dignity, consent, and precision, avoiding folklorization or cultural extractivism. The challenge consisted of integrating three different national contexts and cultural protocols, sustaining narrative coherence and rigor for audiences that do not always share the same framework of understanding.
03
SOLUTION
An immersive 360º (VR) experience was conceptualized, produced, and assembled as an advocacy and dissemination device:
- Transnational field production: Filming in Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Chile to capture testimonies and real contexts linked to program implementation.
- Intercultural mediation and approach: Dialogical and respectful recording processes with leaders and communities, incorporating cultural protocols and sensitivities.
- Purpose-driven immersive narrative: Designing the journey and assembly so the audience experiences the territory as evidence and understands the contribution of indigenous knowledge to the climate conversation.
04
IMPACT
Main result: A tool that converts territorial knowledge into communicable evidence, elevating the quality of debate and bringing the climate conversation closer to those who sustain it on the ground.
- First-person knowledge: The immersive format positions communities as interlocutors, not as "cases."
- Territory present in decision-making spaces: VR transfers context, complexity, and legitimacy to technical and high-level audiences.
- Reusable assets for advocacy: A high-impact product ready for events, presentations, and awareness-raising processes.
