The researchers were able to obtain geospatial data on both Intact Forest Landscape and land owned by Indigenous People for 50 different countries. In the West, the war is largely remembered from the British point of view – but Afghans have not forgotten their experience. This shows that if we are to ensure that the world’s forests remain intact, cooperating with and understanding the world’s Indigenous Peoples will be incredibly important. Reportedly, for at least six generations they had cultivated seasonal crops on small rotational plots, while also relying on edible forest products. That creates a grim irony when tribal peoples are estranged from the environment they have safeguarded, for the sake of safeguarding the environment. A compilation of maps of Indigenous lands published this week shows that Indigenous Peoples retain connection to about a quarter of the world’s land surface stretched across 87 countries on all inhabited continents and many islands. Historically many Indigenous Peoples were often evicted from protected areas, and in some places this still happens. The Amazon rainforest, which houses the largest area of intact forest landscape which lies within indigenous lands (Image Credit: David Evers, CC BY 2.0, Image Cropped), Importance of Indigenous Peoples’ lands for the conservation of Intact Forest Landscapes (2020) Fa et al., Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2148. You can read more about the role of Indigenous Peoples in conservation at the link below. “For conservationists pushing for the expansion of protected areas, the study highlights the potential dangers of alienating people from their environment, and represents a neglected opportunity to support them doing what they already do,” Sheil said. However, a newly developed spatial plan for the regency that includes a proposal for an 83,000-hectare nature reserve in the Arfak Mountains looms over the Demaisi peoples’ traditional way of life.

Rather than revealing a pattern of over-exploitation, the study found “respected individuals or groups have a recognized responsibility for protecting key resource-rich areas.”. He notes the name “wilderness” constructs landscapes in a way not shared by all social groups; indeed, there is no translation for the word in many languages. Pristine forests remain not only a home for a huge range of biodiversity, they are also important resources for carbon storage, meaning their protection will become crucial as temperatures rise globally. Often, however, Indigenous Peoples describe their primary motivations for species protection as fulfilling cultural obligations rather than to retain all forms of life in perpetuity. In Australia, for instance, traditional fire management has been practiced uninterrupted for at least 40,000 years, and the entire natural system is adapted to it. Probably not a lot. This news is good, as highlighted below, but the fact remains that there are few countries worldwide who have made viable commitments to expanding the land rights of their Indigenous people. We have nurtured our natural environment through our ‘use and conserve’ practice, which is part of our simple lifestyle and culture. Often, however, Indigenous Peoples describe their primary motivations for species protection as fulfilling cultural obligations rather than to retain all forms of life in perpetuity. Plants are conserved by these ethnic and indigenous people that serve as a source of wild edible food in the form of roots, tubers, rhizomes, seeds, fruits and as agricultural and horticultural plants. Partnering with Indigenous Peoples and granting them legal titles to ancestral forests will go along way in mitigating climate catastrophes. Manila can exact land-based ownership of the maritime domain with a smarter strategy. As a new set of global sustainability goals are being negotiated post 2020, it is of utmost importance that Indigenous Peoples and their interests, as diverse as they might be, are at the table. This is the root cause of many conflicts over conservation objectives. Their struggle, and cycle of eviction and return, continued for decades until an NGO stepped in to represent them, arguing the park’s ecosystem contains plants, animals, and people too. Fortunately, this legacy of ignoring customary tenure is starting to change, catalyzed by a landmark ruling in 2013. Another, too often, has been dispossession of that land. The U.S. government needs to prepare for a rash of political crises, as COVID-19 exposes the region's endemic governance failures. Where indigenous peoples have depended, for long periods of time, on local environments for the provision of a variety of resources, they have developed a stake in conserving, and in some cases, enhancing, biodiversity. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. The forest we manage, including our practice of shifting cultivation that provides us food security, are better conserved and enriched with biodiversity.”. Indigenous peoples are crucial for conservation – a quarter of all land is in their hands. Figures from last year show community managed forests had an average deforestation rate 11 times lower than land outside their borders. Their role is … With such diversity in names and cultures, some people might not be aware of the many things that Indigenous Peoples share. In Southeast Sulawesi, the Moronene people were made to leave their ancestral land after the Rawa Aopa Watumohai National Park was created in 1989. Indigenous Communities and Biodiversity – The Diplomat All Sections Search In Metaweja, survey and discussion is used to decide if a resource needs time to recover and replenish. Partnering with Indigenous Peoples and granting them legal titles to ancestral forests will go along way in mitigating climate catastrophes. Another case is now unfolding in West Papua province, which sits beside Papua province together forming the Indonesian part of the island of New Guinea.

The researchers also showed that 84% of the world’s IFLs occur in either Tropical/Subtropical Most Broadleaf Forests or Boreal Forests/Taiga.

One is deep cultural attachment to their land and sea – an attachment that goes far beyond mere ownership.

To contextualise this study, let us first consider the conservation contradiction that exists. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account.
For them the forests are the Mother who provides everything.”. “One serious implication [of expelling tribal people] is that effective indigenous conservation systems may be replaced by formally protected areas that are inadequately managed by overstretched government authorities,” Sheil said. Comprising less than 5% of the world's population, indigenous people protect 80% of global biodiversity. Involvement at this level would continue a trend that has been developing slowly since late last century. The study, by the World Resource Institute and the Rights and Resources Initiative, states that forest covers more than half of Indonesia’s land area and of its extensive forest estate community rights were officially recognized in just one percent (compared to 97 percent recognition in Papua New Guinea and 49 percent in Nepal). Territories of the three Papuan communities studied – Kay, Metaweja and Yoke — overlap with the Mamberamo-Foja Wildlife Reserve, a conservation zone spanning two million hectares and brimming with biodiversity.

New research on how Indigenous communities in Papua province, Indonesia conserve the forest resources they rely on concludes, “The potential tragedy of the unseen sentinels is that so much may be lost simply because we failed to open our eyes to look.” Working closely with three communities to examine their conservation practices, a team of scientists associated with the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) discovered each has a system for monitoring resources and responding to threats. Reduction of IFLs in these biomes has been smaller inside Indigenous lands than outside them. “Whether autonomous monitoring is widespread and effective, or rare and ineffective, we need to recognize not only when local people are willing to champion environmental causes, but also when they are already doing so.”.
This paper describes the significant role of ethnic people who have conserved the biodiversity in and around localities of their natural habitat since the beginnings of civilization.