Can Indigenous Peoples Show Us the Way?

Aug 11

The G7’s ambitious plans to protect 30% of global lands and global oceans by 2030.

Indigenous Peoples account for a fifth of the earth's territory and hold the vast majority of the world's biodiversity. They are guardians of the world’s ecosystems, and their conservation efforts need to be recognised.

We are witnessing the effects of the Anthropocene era, from extinctions to extreme weather, melting ice caps, heat waves, rising and warming seas; human activity is catalysing global changes to the biosphere. One of the forces driving the Anthropocene is the destruction of ecosystems, and with this, the G7 leaders agreed on the 13th June 2021, a historic ‘Nature Compact,’ which includes preserving and protecting at least 30% of lands and oceans by 2030. A target, which if not met, could mean irreversible damage to our planet.

A recent IPCC and IPBES report synonymously addresses both climate change and biodiversity loss, stating the urgency that ecosystems which are rich in biodiversity and carbon (tropical forests, peatlands, wetlands, sea kelp and seagrass) need to be protected. The consequence of losing these highly concentrated carbon ecosystems is that both species diversity, due to the loss of habitats, and rich carbon sinks will also be lost.

“In terms of timing it’s very clear that protecting carbon-rich ecosystems needs to be a high priority to stop further ecosystem loss, then we can address restoring the ones we've already lost,” mentioned Pamela McElwee, an associate professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, who worked on the report.

Unfortunately, the rate at which we are losing ecosystems is faster than we can restore them. Between the years 2000-2013, 1.9 million square kilometers of undisturbed ecosystems have been lost; an area the size of Mexico. The report further evidenced that 58.4% of terrestrial earth is under moderate or intense pressure from human activity. Human activity is slowly eroding the earth's ecosystems and further destruction needs to be stopped if we are to keep the earth’s remaining ecosystems intact.

Aligned with the UN’s 30 X 30 initiative, comes the urgency to recognise Indigenous Peoples’ and communities' knowledge. Indigenous land accounts for 20% of the earth’s territory and is occupied by approximately 370 million indigenous people. 80% of the world's biodiversity is found within this 20%. Therefore, when you consider the 30 X 30 target, Indigenous Peoples are already striking a balanced existence between themselves and the conservation of their surroundings.

“It has been pointed out that Indigenous Peoples who occupy about 20% of the earth's surface are already doing these things to preserve their environment, so if we did our job to recognise this and support Indigenous Peoples, we would be already there,” Pam explained.

We all once lived a more sustainable existence in nature, stretching back to our days as hunter-gatherers. The further we have evolved away from these practices and livelihoods, the more we have continued to destroy and damage our ecosystems. The only way to revert back to the stability of the Holocene is to learn from the ancient and ancestral practices that allowed for the period of stability to exist.

Indigenous lands are still facing degradation, however, the rate of biodiversity loss is much slower, which is a strong indication that the varied methods of conservation that Indigenous Peoples use are effective in relation to biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration preservation over a long period of time.

Pam mentioned that “this report (IPCC + IPBES) and previous reports have really emphasised that Indigenous Peoples and local communities are excellent stewards of the lands under their control, and we see less biodiversity decline and less associated carbon sink loss with indigenous lands.”

It is not just Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge and stewardship of their environment that needs to be acknowledged, but there is also the moral element of needing to acknowledge their land and their rights as people and communities. Indigenous Peoples have faced lifetimes of ‘violence and brutality, continuing assimilation policies, marginalization, dispossession of land, forced removal or relocation, denial of land rights, impacts of large-scale development, abuses by military forces and armed conflict, and a host of other abuses,’ (United Nations For Indigenous People). Therefore, there needs to be reassurance that conservation practices will not lead to their displacement; allowing for a definition of land protection that protects both the people who live in these communities and the biodiversity of ecosystems.

“We need to move away from state-managed protected areas where there is a real risk of displacement, and where people are separated from nature and instead, recognise that people are a part of nature and play an essential role in ecosystem enrichment and sustainability use. With that there is a clear role with Indigenous Peoples,” Pam mentioned. “A lot of Indigenous Peoples' organisations are supportive of a 30% or even a 50% goal, as long as it recognises the more encompassing idea of protection and that wouldn’t result in displacement of Indigenous Peoples.”

Previously, Indigenous Peoples have been chased off their lands for large-scale developments of dams, mining, monocrop plantations and logging. This results in heinous consequences for both the environment and the people, inflicting serious human rights violations on Indigenous Peoples. Their knowledge, built up for millennia, is essential if we are to curb climate change. Nature-based solutions need to be at the core of governmental initiatives. The plan for the 30 X 30 target must protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as other traditional landowners; conservation cannot lead to eviction.

“Making sure that indigenous knowledge and Indigenous Peoples aren't siloed, but their concerns and understandings are woven throughout all conservation decisions, practices and science is a key goal for the next decade.”

Biodiversity is more than a science of Western understanding, it is an amalgamation of both science and culture. If we are going to meet biodiversity goals that both preserve ecosystems and improve the livelihoods of people, governmental bodies need to work with people who know the best practices to do so; to put right the damage inflicted to our environment and learn from the people whose land conservation methods have stood the test of time.

Written by Scarlett Buckley, Her Climate Guest Writer

Scarlett Buckley is a freelance environmental writer who is pushing for a greener, fairer, more harmonious world. With a dream that the people and the planet can live in a utopia and not a dystopia, she writes about environmental matters stretching from politics to everyday sustainable living.