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OSLO, Norway – Indigenous peoples and local communities conserve land and forests for one quarter of the cost of public and private investment in protected areas, according to New Results Published At the Oslo Rainforest Forum last week, "Fortress Conservation" strategies often see indigenous peoples being driven off their land to protect them from human activities.
More on Indigenous Peoples' Rights:
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► Indigenous leaders lament the disconnect between SDG indicators and the realities of indigenous peoples. UN
The report, co-authored by UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, highlights the role of local communities as stewards of forests; warns of rising human rights violations in these territories; and advocates for conservation models that include – rather than expel – indigenous peoples.
Communities usually own about half of the world's land, but they only have 10% secure legal rights, according to the report. It notes that indigenous peoples protect vital resources for the climate, since community lands contain at least one quarter of forest carbon above ground and the rate of loss of forest cover is less than half in these areas. But the overlap between protected areas and indigenous peoples' lands – estimated between 50 and 80 percent – creates "a potential for permanent conflict".
Tauli-Corpuz, an indigenous leader of the Philippines, was placed on a terrorist list "by the government earlier this year, alongside other advocates of indigenous rights and human rights." She is supported by her fellow UN special rapporteurs, who say this list is the result of her opposition to government policies.
She spoke to Devex on the sidelines of the Oslo Forest Forum on the main challenges for a rights-based approach to conservation and the role that donors and development practitioners could play
The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
The report you co-authored examines the role of indigenous forest dwellers in climate and development goals Why look at this question and why now?
The relationship between protected areas and indigenous peoples is now discussed at a high level, globally. We realize that many of the initial efforts to protect forests and the climate but excluded communities have failed. At the same time, indigenous peoples have become better organized to badert their rights and there is growing evidence that forests are better taken into account when community rights are respected.
This report is not the first to explore the problem.
"Available evidence suggests that respect for the rights of indigenous peoples is a more cost-effective approach to forest protection."
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The report provides precise figures, which are what scientists and policy makers understand. For example, it highlights the fact that indigenous peoples and local communities outperform other land managers in terms of profitability. Globally, communities invest up to $ 4.57 billion annually in land conservation, including up to $ 1.71 billion in forest conservation. This represents up to 23% of the amount spent by governments, donors, NGOs and foundations for land and forest conservation. Yet, Aboriginal peoples receive only a small percentage of official conservation funding.
Research also shows that legally recognized community forests store more carbon and experience fewer tree losses than forests under other tenure systems, including protected areas. What do these ideas mean from the point of view of policy making?
The available evidence suggests that respect for the rights of indigenous peoples is a more cost-effective approach to forest protection, so I hope to see more policies that reflect that. States should identify gaps between forest protection laws and policies and respect for the human rights of indigenous peoples. In fact, they often contradict each other
There is concrete evidence of the contribution of indigenous peoples to conservation for more than a decade, but the report states that they do not. Always have a limited recognition of their community. land rights in protected areas. What are the main obstacles to achieving a rights-based approach to conservation and development?
The matrix used to measure development is very skewed in favor of extractivism. Governments continue to believe that unsustainable extraction of forest resources will bring more economic growth than protection.
Even when policies exist to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and restore their lands, they are totally out of date. I have often seen them bypbaded by investors or laws on mining and infrastructure.
Another reason is the persistence of discrimination against indigenous peoples by the dominant society, especially by decision-makers. They can not believe that the people they labeled as primitive are doing well – or even better at conserving than what they are.
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Thank you for subscribing! is the division within the aboriginal communities themselves. When projects are introduced, governments often prefer to speak to members who may be more inclined to support their goals, and they use a divide and conquer strategy. This is one of the major reasons why existing evidence is not used.
What strategies do you propose to meet these challenges ?
We must take action at three levels. We must put pressure on states to respect human rights. Many states seem to find it easier to comply with the requirements of investors and economic powers than with human rights obligations. To exert pressure, it is crucial that indigenous peoples establish a much more effective network among themselves and with other allies.
Other civil society organizations should also find common ground with Aboriginal peoples. We need them to make their voices heard much more strongly against forced evictions from protected areas and to support a rights-based approach to conservation. The Fortress Conservation Approach Increases the Risk of Marginalization, Poverty and Food Insecurity Among Indigenous Peoples
What role should the private sector and development practitioners be able to play? they play?
The private sector must understand that it is in its interest to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and that we are not enemies. If investments are a constant source of conflict, how will they recover their capital or raise funds?
Development actors have a very important role to play in shaping a truly sustainable, socially just and caring development model. the rights of indigenous peoples. Traditional livelihoods are an example of sustainability and should receive much more support, instead of being undermined, destroyed and even criminalized.
"The matrix for measuring development is very skewed in favor of extractivism."
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The memoir says that more conservation funding should be channeled toward community-based conservation initiatives. Are you planning to collaborate with donors such as the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility and Impact Investment Companies?
Yes, we would like to expand our engagement with them. The World Bank's Forest Conservation Program already has a specific grant mechanism involving indigenous peoples. As for the GEF, it should do a much stronger badessment of its investments in national parks. This is essential for taking stock of failures and successes, and for implementing lessons learned.
Impact investment firms must also ensure that their activities are far more respectful of human rights and social justice. They sometimes make many references to the sustainability of the environment, but they neglect other aspects of a rights-based approach, such as ensuring a fair distribution of benefits. In this regard, I am already in contact with the Alliance of Investors for Human Rights, a unique initiative launched at the end of last year to expand the collective action by investors on a range of critical human rights issues. The report makes four recommendations: to create an independent mechanism for monitoring and settling grievances; create national accountability and redress mechanisms for violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in the context of conservation measures; fully integrate the United States Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into all future goals and actions related to biodiversity conservation and climate change; and promote conservation models with the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities. How far are you sure they will be implemented?
It depends on the adoption of these recommendations by policy makers and the global conservation and development community. We must maintain pressure on decision makers to adequately address the overlap between protected areas and indigenous territories, and we need to continue to provide evidence on the role of communities as communities. forest stewards.
I now see good steps in the right direction. management, such as the work of the Land Fund and some funds that aim to better protect communal land rights over forests. With such additional financial and technical support, we will be able to advance these goals.
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