Marcus Colchester is a Senior Policy Advisor (and founder and former Director) at the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP). Dr. Colchester’s work has focused on securing indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands and livelihoods by pressing for policy change at grass-roots, national and international levels. His work at the national level in Venezuela focused on indigenous land rights, health, bilingual education and development policy. He initiated a successful process to establish a protected area in the Upper Orinoco.

Since then he has worked on land tenure, human rights and forest peoples’ mobilisation across the tropics in relation to forest colonisation, dams, mines, protected areas, climate change mitigation and agribusiness, with an emphasis on recognition of customary rights and the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.