Participatory countermapping in defense of life and territory. Participatory research methods for sustainability ‐ toolkit #15

Participatory countermapping is both a fundamental research method and a political tool to support the struggles of marginalized communities, their territories, and livelihood systems. Through the collaborative creation of maps grounded in lived experiences and territorial knowledge, this methodology directly contrasts hegemonic cartographic discourses that have historically erased identities, memories, and living geographies. As a transformative tool, countermapping visualizes territorialities, strengthens processes of resistance, supports political claims, and reaffirms community knowledge in the face of extractivism and the ongoing coloniality of power and nature.