May 2009 Volume 14 Number 5

We must protect the most vulnerable

Marginalised physically and politically, injustice is nothing new to many indigenous peoples. Often dependent on fragile ecosystems, they are extremely vulnerable to climate change, as the testimony of the Arctic Inuit demonstrates. Melting ice caps are making their lives more precarious than ever before, with hunting becoming more dangerous and a changing habitat making the future look extremely bleak.

The rights of indigenous populations have to date been dismissed too easily by politicians and business keen to push through development. Land rights have been abused. With little - if any - political representation and little money, many indigenous communities have been forced to rely on charitable and philanthropic organisations to help them defend their legal rights. Cooperative Financial Services' support of the Cree Indians' legal challenge to protect the ecological integrity of their traditional territories is a case in point.

What we have already lost through this abuse of traditional cultures is incalculable. There is much to be learned from those that have been linked for generations to a particular region. Their knowledge of local biodiversity, especially in regions such as the Amazon where there is still so much to be discovered, is invaluable to scientists struggling to gain an understanding of an ecosystem that is being destroyed at a rate that outstrips the rate of identification and study.

If carbon taxation comes to place a monetary value on such natural resources - with polluters supporting rainforest through taxes based on their emissions - then there is hope that rainforest will be protected and valued. Indigenous stewards would have an important role to play and the funds raised through taxation would have the potential to lift people out of poverty and reward and support them properly in their roles as guardians of habitats of global significance.

However, the attachment of monetary value to habitat in regions that have known corruption and the abuse of power also has the potential to do great damage. As ever, the devil will be in the detail. It is vital that as environmentalists, economists and politicians wrestle with the problem of coming up with global strategies to combat climate change, that indigenous people are given the voice, support and legal protection that they deserve. By doing so we will not only protect the most vulnerable, but protect ourselves - from ignorance, the ugliness of abuse and the destruction of an environment that many scientists believe is already providing a buffer between us and our emissions.

In our lead article, Gustavo Faleiros reports on the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing countries (REDD) strategy and how communities in Juma, Brazil, are receiving Government subsidies for protecting rainforest.

Erika Yarrow, Editor, WEM (The Environment Magazine) wemeditor@ciwem.org This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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