An investigation revealed that a quarter of the world is under indigenous administration. It also shows that currently 370 million people identify themselves as native inhabitants in 87 countries. It is expected that the information published by the journal Nature Sustainability will serve to establish cooperation alliances in the fight against climate change.
By José Díaz
Servindi, 18 July, 2018.- One of the most important objectives in the fight against climate change is the territorial administration of natural areas. In this field the participation of the indigenous population around the world is of immense importance because the native peoples manage a quarter of the global territory.
According to research published by the journal Nature Sustainability, indigenous peoples have ownership, use and management rights over at least a quarter of the world's land surface. This makes native peoples an element of vital importance for the preservation of natural landscapes and diverse ecosystems.
"Understanding the extent of the lands over which Indigenous Peoples hold the traditional connection is critical to several conservation and climate agreements", explained Professor Stephen Garnett of Australia's Charles Darwin University and who was part of the team that designed the maps of the global indigenous territory.
The calculation indicates that there is a total of 38 million square meters in the world that belong to the various indigenous populations. This territory is distributed in 87 countries and 40% is under the condition of protected areas.
Indigenous data
The study also revealed that there are currently 370 million people who define themselves as indigenous, meaning that they belong to communities that lived in their countries before the colonization processes. The continent with the largest number of indigenous populations is Africa, while Europe-Western Asia has the smallest amount.
The research published by the journal Nature Sustainability shows an unprecedented statistical work on indigenous data. An information that could be used to establish a cooperation alliance between governments and indigenous peoples in search of the preservation of nature.
"In many countries, indigenous peoples are playing an active role in conservation. This should generate important benefits for the conservation of ecologically valuable landscapes, ecosystems and genes for future generations”, said Niel Buergess, from the United Nations Environment Conservation Monitoring Center.
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#IndigenousPeoples: Rights not “fortress conservation” key to save planet, says UN expert → https://t.co/aThlVU1SZu pic.twitter.com/WfEursp3PM
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