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We are the protectors of biodiversity

2020-06-13T09:19:11.693Z


Indigenous peoples are the forest, the river, the ecosystems and sacred spaces; therefore, we safeguard all those resources based on our ancient knowledge


As deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon and other countries in the region reaches dramatic and unprecedented levels, the country's indigenous communities are increasingly besieged, reflecting a trend observed throughout Latin America.

Leaders of indigenous organizations in Brazil this week launched a campaign to demand the expulsion of illegal miners from the Yanomami territories. Almost 14,000 miners have invaded the region of this emblematic town.

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Sadly, the Yanomami story reflects what is happening in tropical forests across Latin America. Deadly covid-19 infections are appearing even in the remotest regions of the region's tropical forests; Meanwhile, legal and illegal miners, loggers, and land traffickers are acting under cover of the pandemic to seize our lands and poison our rivers, particularly in the Amazon Basin.

Therefore, we welcome the unprecedented commitment made by the prestigious High Ambition Coalition in a statement reflecting what the reviewed science has definitely shown, and the IPBES report has confirmed. This global group of governments and conservationists asserts: "We cannot safeguard the world's remaining biodiversity without partnering and respecting the rights and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities, who are often the best guardians of nature in the world" .

We are the forest, the river, the biodiversity, the ecosystems and sacred spaces; therefore, we safeguard all those resources based on our ancient knowledge. That is why it is necessary and urgent to respect and guarantee the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities because we represent the guarantee of the balance of nature in the world.

I say this appropriately on behalf of many sisters and brothers who cannot denounce this because their voices are muted. And as leader of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities, representing a coalition of territorial communities of indigenous peoples and local communities in tropical forest countries of Latin America and Southeast Asia.

As more evidence emerges about the link between the emergence of new pathogens and the loss of biodiversity and deforestation, the world should consider our survival as protection.

We are prepared with our own proposals and our own solutions to advance the goals adopted by the United Nations and global organizations, investors and other corporate entities. Science has shown that recognizing and enforcing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities enables us to outperform all other groups, public or private, that are in charge of managing vulnerable ecosystems.

In a recent report, the World Economic Forum estimated the value of intact biodiversity globally for the economic sector at $ 33 trillion. In the same text, the authors noted our role as protectors of 80% of the world's remaining biodiversity and called us the best stewards of nature. And yet, too often we are marginalized in concrete proposals to conserve biodiversity and reduce deforestation.

The attitude of our national governments in the covid-19 crisis suggests that we are disposable. As more scientific evidence emerges about the link between the emergence of new pathogens and the loss of biodiversity and deforestation, the world should consider our survival as protection, not only of the planet, but of humanity.

The pandemic, a symptom of a world out of sync with nature, has caught the eye. We hope that the world is now ready to hear what we have to say.

Tuntiak Katan is general coordinator of the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities and Vice-Coordinator of COICA, the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin.

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Source: elparis

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