An German version of this comment is available here.
Indigenous peoples are the guardians of the tropical forests - and thus of ecosystems that store large amounts of carbon. At the UN climate summit COP26 in Glasgow, indigenous people were the focus of such a huge United Nations environment conference for the first time. That was a novelty in itself, as was the amount of money that will be used to stop the deforestation of tropical forests in the coming years so that it no longer fuels climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the risk of pandemics. A pledge by the public and private sectors to provide $ 19 billion to reform the investment business and remove deforestation products from supply chains was one of the great and gratifying highlights of COP26.
141 governments, including the USA, Brazil, Germany and China, have also signed a declaration in which they undertake to respect and recognize the land rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
In doing so, they also recognized the clear scientific evidence that indigenous peoples are extremely competent at preventing the destruction of valuable ecosystems.
But amid the joy of progress, indigenous leaders in Glasgow cautioned.
It remains to be seen, said one of them, whether indigenous people were only used as a backdrop for a photo opportunity or whether this COP will go down in history as a historic moment for the indigenous peoples and the planet.
Passages from the Glasgow Declaration by the Heads of State or Government on Forests and Land Use illustrate why there are doubts.
The signatories tore a huge hole in their declaration on the protection of indigenous peoples and ways of life with one formulation.
The recognition of indigenous people is "in accordance with the relevant national legislation and international instruments, as far as this is appropriate," it says.
Each government can therefore define for itself what is “appropriate”.
In future included in carbon market
Since they serve as powerful carbon sinks, the tropical forests of indigenous communities are likely to be included in any carbon market. Activists in Glasgow tried during the climate negotiations to push for stronger rights for indigenous peoples in these transactions, including the right to develop nature-based solutions and control their implementation as they affect their territories. They have argued that their forests are better carbon stores if their rights are respected. The final text of the climate agreement, while referring to the rights of indigenous communities, gives them little control over the implementation of the proposals.
Worldwide, 370 to 500 million people belong to indigenous peoples. Studies have clearly shown that the deforestation rate in the areas they have traditionally inhabited and managed - including many vast tropical forest areas in Indonesia, the Amazon Basin, the Congo and Central America - is astoundingly low and biodiversity remains high. The indigenous peoples have proven to be effective administrators of these areas, who know how to live sustainably in the forests while protecting them from deforestation and other forms of destructive exploitation.
Climate protection solutions that are rooted in nature, i.e. based on the natural power of ecosystems to store carbon, are extremely promising.
That is why they are also described and requested in the final declaration.
The success of such solutions is closely related to the fact that these ecosystems can continue to be protected by indigenous communities.