Indigenous rights that lead to a healthy planet
Indigenous rights can lead to a healthy planet in many ways. The following paragraphs describes how Indigenous rights are good for Earth.
Conserving biodiversity
“Nearly half of the world’s endangered mammals live on land owned and protected by Indigenous people. In many countries, the richness of animal and plant life found on indigenous people’s land is comparable to protected nature reserves” (Broom, 2023, section 3: Protecting biodiversity).
“Indigenous Peoples have conserved biodiversity for millennia. They have created much of the world’s agricultural biodiversity, including thousands of crop varieties, livestock breeds and unique landscapes. These practices continue today in many of their territories, creating new varieties of crops and livestock that are often more resilient than modern equivalents” (Swiderska, 2020, paragraph 3).
Sources:
Broom, D. (2023, 3 August). 5 ways Indigenous people are protecting the planet. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/indigenous-people-protecting-planet/
Swiderska, K. (2020, 14 February). Protecting indigenous cultures is crucial for saving the world’s biodiversity. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/protecting-indigenous-cultures-is-crucial-for-saving-the-worlds-biodiversity-123716
Protecting forests
Indigenous people also play a key role in protecting Earth’s forests. A recent whitepaper found that rates of deforestation in areas inhabited by Indigenous people were three to four times lower than in neighbouring lands (World Economic Forum, 2022).
Adapted from World Economic Forum. (2022). From aspiration to action: Credible corporate climate leadership and the net-zero imperative [White paper]. https://www.weforum.org/publications/from-aspiration-to-action-credible-corporate-climate-leadership-and-the-net-zero-imperative/
Climate action
Just by pursuing their traditional methods of cultivation, Indigenous people are acting to reduce carbon emissions which cause climate change. . . . [t]he re-introduction of traditional controlled forest-burning methods by indigenous peoples of Northern Australia had halved the volume of carbon-emitting wildfires (Broom, 2023, section 5: Taking climate action).
Source: Broom, D. (2023, 3 August). 5 ways Indigenous people are protecting the planet. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/indigenous-people-protecting-planet/
Custodians of the land to ensure protection
“In Suriname, Indigenous people took the initiative to declare 7.2 million hectares of rainforest as the Indigenous Southern Suriname Conservation Corridor, acting as rangers to ensure its protection. The government subsequently gave the Corridor official status by recognising their declaration” (Broom, 2023, section 4: Custodians of the land).
Source: Broom, D. (2023). 5 ways Indigenous people are protecting the planet. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/indigenous-people-protecting-planet/
Improve soil fertility
The Indigenous community of Lake Chad-Sahel in Africa are a group of “nomadic cattle herders that have learned, from centuries of living in harmony with nature, that protecting nature is investing in our children’s future. We stay for two or three days in one location, while our cattle migration restores fragile ecosystems and their dung fertilizes the land. We have extensive knowledge about the local flora and fauna, and we gather information about the impact climate change is having on them. Our way of life follows the rhythm of seasons and gives space to nature to regenerate. When we leave a piece of land, it’s more fertile than before, thanks to our ancestral agroecological practices” (Ibrahim, 2021, Solutions).
Ibrahim, H.O. (2021). How can we use indigenous knowledge to help save the planet? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/indigenous-communities-climate-change-environment-biodiversity/
Group activity
Formative assessment 2:
- Gather together a group of village members who are interested in understanding Indigenous practices and rights.
- Invite an Indigenous community leader from your region or country to speak to the group.
- Write down the main points from the guest’s speech.
- Write down the Indigenous rights that the speaker identified and ask your village head or group facilitator to assist in documenting the different rights of Indigenous peoples from your geographical region.
- Working in smaller groups, discuss which Indigenous rights are applicable to your local village and could help in conservation efforts in your area.
