Getting the locals on board is key to conservation

Great post from the Human Directions of Natural Resource Management:

Indigenous peoples are key to preserving the world’s forests, and conservation reserves that exclude them suffer as a result, according to a new study from the World Bank.

Its analysis shows how deforestation plummets to its lowest levels when indigenous peoples continue living in protected areas, and are not forced out.

Across the world millions of tribal people are conservation refugees, but the World Bank says its evidence shows ‘forest conservation need not be at the expense of local livelihoods.’

Using satellite data from forest fires to help indicate deforestation levels, the study showed rates were lower by about 16% in indigenous areas between 2000-2008.

Read more at It’s Official – The Key To Conservation Lies With Indigenous Peoples

This is something Woodland Park Zoo, Izilwane, and many other non-profit organizations have been working on for years, so it’s nice to see the World Bank back them up.

So, the next question is what can be done to support local, indigenous groups to protect and care for their natural surroundings? Most groups want to preserve their environments and keep them handy for the next generation, but it is simply economically not viable, at least not how they see it.

Related articles

• Philanthropists and Indigenous Leaders Talk Solutions to World’s Pressing Problems (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Locals ‘helping forests recover’ (bbc.co.uk)
• Clashes Between Tribes and Agribusiness Increase in Malaysia (nytimes.com)
• People Hugging: UNFCCC Forest Policy Needs A Climate Justice Framework (canadianyouthdelegation.wordpress.com)