Climate and Indigenous People: To save the planet, protect its stewards

Indigenous peoples, stewards of the world's great tropical forests and of ecosystems that store massive amounts of carbon, took center stage for the first time at the UN climate event in Glasgow. 

That in itself was a novelty, but so was the amount of money pledged to reduce the tropical deforestation that fuels climate change, loss of biodiversity and the risk of future pandemics.

The public and private sectors pledged US $ 19 billion toward this goal— to change government policies, to reform investment business practices and to remove deforestation from the commodities supply chain.

It was one of the awe-inspiring highlights of COP26.

Brazil, China, Germany and the United States were among the 142 governments to sign a forest declaration in which they promised to recognize the land rights of Indigenous peoples in stopping deforestation.

They thus recognized the clear scientific evidence that indigenous peoples prevent the destruction of valuable ecosystems.

But amidst the joy of progress, Indigenous leaders in Glasgow called for caution.

It remains to be seen, an Indigenous leader told a reporter, whether Indigenous peoples will have been used only as a backdrop for a photo opportunity or whether the story of COP26 would become a historic moment — for Indigenous peoples and the planet.

Passages in the 

suggest this leader's doubts are well founded.

The declaration says governments will respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and their way of life, "in accordance with the relevant national legislation and international instruments, where appropriate."

But these words make clear that any government can decide for itself what is "reasonable".

Globally, there are 370-500 million Indigenous peoples.

Studies have clearly shown that the rate of deforestation in the areas of indigenous peoples inhabit is significantly lower than that in surrounding forests.

Cared for by communities, sometimes for thousands of years, ancestral territories include tropical forests in Indonesia, the Amazon Basin, Congo and Central America, where deforestation is surprisingly low, and biodiversity remains high.

Indigenous peoples have proven to be effective managers of these regions, understanding how to live sustainably in the forests and to protect those forests against destructive exploitation by companies and investors who try to control land and resources.

Threats include the expansion of industrial agriculture and oil drilling, and illegal activities like gold mining and logging.

Increasingly, indigenous leaders are attacked, imprisoned, and murdered.

There is great promise in climate solutions that are rooted in nature, based on the natural power of ecosystems to store carbon.

The final Glasgow

encourages such solutions but fails to acknowledge that conserving forests and other intact ecosystems rests on the continued stewardship of Indigenous peoples.

A new

, published on October 12, suggests that purely voluntary commitments by governments and companies have not halted deforestation.

The scientists found that global commitments have so far failed dramatically to protect forests, and called for strengthening the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Other leading climate scientists, like the members of the 

, recognize the unique expertise of Indigenous peoples in protecting nature.