Indigenous communities have a proven record of protecting forests. Furthermore, a recent study demonstrated their expertise at overseeing regional biodiversity.
Stopping tropical deforestation alone won’t do. Communities must also benefit from what the natural world provides them – so recognizing Indigenous rights legally is critical.
Deforestation
Indigenous tribes across the globe depend on forests for food and income, yet deforestation threatens their sustainable lifestyle by impacting traditional sources of organic foods and medicinal plants that provide organic nutrition, as well as hunting grounds that support hunting opportunities for Indigenous tribes. Deforestation also alters hunting grounds which become less viable, leaving these tribal communities more susceptible to poverty and hunger with serious repercussions for health; plus destruction of natural resources leads to disruption of their self-sufficient economy as well as social inequality.
Indigenous people and their lands have taken center stage at recent global climate negotiations, with leaders pledgeing to reach net-zero deforestation by 2030 – but this feat may prove daunting as global deforestation occurs at a rate of 22 square kilometres daily.
Responding to this threat, some Indigenous communities are joining forces in protecting their land and water. Patrol groups enlisted by these Indigenous communities often identify illegal activities like logging and cattle ranching and take measures against them; In Brazil for instance, “Forest Guardians” patrolled their territory regularly after receiving reports from citizens; detained trespassers were then handed over to federal police stations.
However, their efforts are often compromised by complex power relations and micropolitics that span gender and generational divides. Furthermore, they must address desires to continue traditional practices while maintaining equitable relations with nature; discussions surrounding how best to approach deforestation tend to become heated when values such as Indigenous autonomy collide with healthy environments (Thompson and Ban 2021; Whyte 2020).
Indigenous territories remain effective defenses against deforestation despite these challenges, according to several studies in Australia, Canada, and Brazil that demonstrated they serve as one of the primary protectors against biodiversity loss and climate change. A study in the Amazon showed lands protected by Indigenous people with legal property rights saw lower deforestation rates than unprotected areas – results similar to others conducted elsewhere around the globe such as Australia Canada Brazil where Indigenous territories proved to be some of the best shields against environmental destruction.
Indigenous and tribal communities must receive more financial support from the international community if they are to fulfill their role as custodians of some of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems, according to a new report by State of Finance for Nature 2022. As currently only US$154 billion are being invested into nature-based solutions – less than half what’s necessary to meet climate and biodiversity targets.
Degradation
Degradation of forests threatens the very survival of Indigenous communities. It depletes land that they depend on for food and income, pollutes water sources and poisons the air, causes soil erosion, increases climate change vulnerability and disaster risks, makes maintaining traditional lifestyles and cultural values impossible and hinders traditional lifestyles and values from being upheld. Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation: their subsistence economies, development opportunities and culture all become vulnerable due to pollution from large scale industrial activities, conflicts, forced displacement or environmental destruction.
Indigenous communities are fighting hard to protect their lands and way of life from governments and developers who threaten it with destruction or development projects, setting an example in leading by example and trusting in a brighter future for themselves and future generations. But more funds must be found to meet such ambitious goals – the current level of funding for nature-based solutions falls far short of meeting them all.
Recent research has demonstrated the power of Indigenous communities in combatting deforestation. A study published by Nature Sustainability indicates this fact, with Indigenous territories significantly outstripping protected areas in terms of deforestation reduction; they also boast higher biodiversity levels indicating superior land management practices.
Research findings such as this are especially impactful when you consider that every year the world loses enough forests to cover Portugal. Unfortunately, much of this land loss occurs on Indigenous lands without their knowledge or consent; Indigenous communities such as Waorani of Ecuador are fighting hard to preserve their forest ecosystems by patrolling their territories, challenging government agencies, companies, and using cultural knowledge of ecosystems they inhabit to educate others on why preserving rainforests is important.
Forests play an essential role in keeping Indigenous communities healthy by providing microclimate regulation, medicinal plants for healthcare systems and serving as natural buffers against environmental degradation, such as pollution and climate change. Unfortunately, as forest health declines these communities become vulnerable to harmful pollutants – including increased risks of diabetes and hypertension; childhood leukemia; cancer; neurological effects and changes to menstruation patterns.
Displacement
Indigenous communities have long defended their forests from deforestation; yet, they continue to bear many of its effects, such as habitat loss, soil degradation, water contamination and climate change. Furthermore, they face more grave threats to their survival from land invaders and illegal activities by local officials.
Genilson Guajajara leads a tribe of 300 in Picarra Preta, Brazil that works tirelessly to defend their ancestral forest from illegal miners and loggers – but his task can be arduous: “We’re always at risk,” says Guajajara; people and companies want to occupy it and force out natives from it.
Guajajara is an acclaimed photographer capturing both the beauty and destruction of his native Brazilian Amazon through social media posts, but this puts him directly in the crosshairs of those engaged in illegal activities to exploit its rainforests. “The world depends on us to protect our homeland,” he asserts.
Guajajara and other Indigenous people around the globe struggle to defend their lands from development pressures, but new research from Nature Sustainability found that Indigenous territories provide one of the best safeguards against deforestation – yet this protection can only exist if full property rights are granted to their territories.
The study examined satellite data to gauge how well 377 Indigenous-owned lands protected their forests. Researchers discovered that forests within fully recognized Indigenous communities generally experienced lower deforestation rates – possibly due to forest guards or patrols which prevent trespassers.
Indigenous communities around the globe rely on protecting their homelands to maintain their cultures and economies. Their forests offer essential organic resources such as medicines, fruits, nuts and hunting grounds; in addition to being crucial carbon sinks that mitigate climate change while slowing biodiversity loss.
Researchers say the world must increase investments in sustainable agriculture and forest protection to support these communities, with less than half the funding currently available for such initiatives being sufficient to reach climate, biodiversity, and land-use targets by 2025.
Violence
Indigenous people and their forest territories serve as one of the best defenses against deforestation, yet protecting their legal right to these lands can often be challenging. Communities often face land-grabbing or even murder when resisting logging companies or trying to protect biodiversity – this occurred most infamously when Brazil’s Guajajara tribe were murdered after confronting illegal loggers; indigenous leaders across Brazil also regularly find themselves involved in standoffs with trespassers.
Indigenous communities rely heavily on forests and savannahs for food, medicine and economic resources; when threatened, however, their survival becomes even more precarious, risking losing their way of life and further pushing them into poverty and dependence.
That is precisely what happened in Brazil’s Amazonian state of Ituna-Itata, where Indigenous communities have long battled logging and mining operations on their ancestral lands for decades. Many of them belong to isolated or uncontacted bands with special protection under Brazilian law but remain vulnerable to violent land grabbing and deforestation.
Indigenous communities have proven effective at combatting deforestation and protecting biodiversity despite these difficulties, according to research published in Nature Sustainability. A recent study discovered that deforestation rates on Indigenous lands in tropical areas were one-fifth lower than in protected areas, according to Kathryn Baragwanath and Ella Bayi of Nature Sustainability; their authors concluded that indigenous community-based initiatives can most efficiently reduce forest degradation when given full property rights.
Indigenous cultures see nature and its resources as inextricably linked with their culture. Indigenous people understand that healthy environments are crucial to human wellbeing; protecting these resources forms part of their religious traditions, traditions and values.
Indigenous populations account for only five percent of global population, yet are responsible for approximately 20-25% of earth’s most biologically diverse land, making up an estimated 20-25%. Protecting both their cultures and forests against destruction is of critical importance to preserve both.
