Contested land – conflicts over renewable energy projects on indigenous lands

Description

An event by the Indigenous Studies Discussion Group

---

Speakers

• Andrea G. Manzo Matus (Social anthropologist, Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico)
• Eirik Larsen – Lásse Ivvár Erke (Saami Council representative)
• Matteo Mandis (Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Villanovaforru and PhD student  Barcelona)
• Antonio Muscas (Mechanical engineer and lecturer in physics and technical subjects. Member of the Zero Waste Sardinia Association and of the Sardinian Committee Coordination)

About the speakers

Andrea G. Manzo Matus is a binnizá (Zapotec in English) from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, social anthropologist and member of the community assembly of Unión Hidalgo, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico. She has participated in the defence of her community’s territory against the installation of wind energy megaprojects from private companies, and collaborated in collectives with Indigenous women from the region in the search for just economic alternatives, with a gender and community focus.

Eirik Larsen – Lásse Ivvár Erke is Head of the Human Rights Unit at the Saami Council of the Saami Indigenous Peoples. Mr Larsen is from Dielddanuorri (Tjeldsund) in Norway, where he grew up in a small-scale farming environment on his ancestors’ former reindeer summer pastures. He is currently located in Guovdageaidnu (Kautokeino).
His expertise lies in the interaction between state governments and Indigenous Peoples, as well as in Human Rights within the United Nations system. He holds a master’s degree in law from The Arctic University of Norway, where he graduated with a thesis focused on Constitutional Law and Sámi and Indigenous Peoples Law.
Larsen has previously worked as political advisor for the Governing Council at the Sámi Parliament in Norway. He has also worked with Indigenous Peoples’ issues in Norwegian ministries. He is elected as a member of the Sámi Parliament in Norway and represents the Norwegian Sámi Association.

Matteo Mandis is the vice-mayor of the Municipality of Villanovaforru, and councillor for Culture, Sport and Youth Policies, since October 2021. He’s a PhD Student in Translation and Intercultural Studies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and works as employee at University of Cagliari.
Villanovaforru is a small town of 600 people in Sardinia, known in particular for the archaeological and cultural heritage, as the Nuraghe of Genna Maria. From the energetic point of view, in 2021 an energy community was founded in Villanovaforru, being the first one in Sardinia and one of the first ones in Italy. As many other areas in Sardinia, also Villanovaforru’s country and heritage are threatened by projects of energetic speculation, in particular by the building of wind turbines.
Currently, Villanovaforru’s municipality is struggling against these projects, together with the Committee Su Entu Nostu.

Antonio Muscas is a Mechanical engineer and lecturer in physics and technical subjects. Member of the Zero Waste Sardinia association and of the Sardinian Committee Coordination against renewable energy speculation. He has been dealing with environmental, energy and related economic and social issues.
On the energy issue in Sardinia, he published a leaflet entitled “Energy, Democracy and Human Rights” in 2019. Subsequently, he was part of a working group convened by the Italian MISE (Ministry for Economic Development) for the decarbonisation of Italy, elaborating proposal for energy production in line with the principles of safeguarding and protecting the environment and landscape, while providing economic benefits to communities and employment growth. In 2020, they published a booklet entitled “Sardinia Island Zero CO2 – Phase Out 2025’’ and drafted a proposal to revise the regulations on renewable energies.
He is currently involved in an Erasmus+ project on the impacts of climate change in the agricultural sector involving France, Portugal, Romania and Spain.

Moderator

• Sara Corona (University of Cambridge)

For enquiries please contact the Research Networks Programme Manager.