A/HRC/6/15 page 16 customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the indigenous peoples concerned (Declaration, art. 26, para. 3). The participation and empowerment of the affected communities and the strengthening of public legal and administrative mechanisms are essential components of these experiences. 45. A pioneering initiative in this regard was the multilateral Indigenous Lands Project in Brazil. From 1996 to 2006, the Indigenous Lands Project supported the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) in the demarcation, approval and registration of indigenous lands in the Amazon basin. It also supported indigenous initiatives aimed at the preservation and sustainable use of their territories. Designed as an open project, it was successful in securing 70 per cent of indigenous lands, although to date only 50 per cent of the illegal occupants of those lands have been relocated. In 2007, the German cooperation agency launched a project to monitor the protection and conservation of the demarcated territories. Similar initiatives have been implemented by the Danish cooperation agency, such as support for the registration of community lands surrounding the two major areas of protection in Nicaragua, namely the Bosawas and Indio Maíz reserves. 46. As of 2006, the process of granting title to indigenous land in Bolivia has been stepped up. Under the Community Renewal Act No. 3545, title to 3.7 million hectares was granted in full compliance with the human rights-based approach, with significant implications for the development of indigenous native peoples. Likewise, the supreme decrees on consultation and participation and on monitoring hydrocarbon-related activities in indigenous territories and rural communities recognize the right of those peoples to be consulted and to participate, in accordance with their customs and traditions, in decisions relating to their lands and territories in conformity with the provisions of ILO Convention No. 169. In Bolivia, there are over 80 initiatives relating to community tourism. Government policy aims at establishing links between such tourism structures in indigenous areas and indigenous and native peoples so that they themselves manage tourism. 47. Another important example of this type of initiative is the Orissa Tribal Development Project (OTDP) in India, implemented between 1987 and 1998. Designed as a comprehensive development project, one of its components was the registration and regularization of indigenous lands in the State of Orissa, which included the formal recognition of agricultural and forest lands traditionally used by indigenous peoples. This measure both facilitated the recognition of the property rights of the communities involved and helped restore the ecological balance and enhance the productivity of these lands. 48. Good practices were also achieved with regard to protected areas, where the aim of environmental protection was linked to institutional reform processes and the empowerment of indigenous peoples. Since 1998, the Ereto project, a bilateral cooperation initiative between the United Republic of Tanzania and DANIDA has involved local pastoral communities in conservation efforts in the Ngorongoro district. The cornerstone of this project has been the association of respect for traditional grazing practices with conservation as mutually reinforcing objectives, rather than incompatible elements, as is the case in policies pursued in other countries. Such factors as the empowerment of local communities and the support for livestock initiatives launched by the communities themselves were identified as key to the success of the project.