By Polina Shulbaeva (Selkup, CS Consultant)
March 21 is International Day of Forests, and on this day, Cultural Survival reminds you that forests are not just part of nature and ecosystems. They are home and the basis of life for millions of Indigenous Peoples around the world. That is why large-scale logging and destruction of forests due to economic benefits threaten not only the biodiversity of the planet but also the very existence of these Peoples, their culture, traditions, and knowledge accumulated over centuries. Indigenous activists and defenders who try to defend their lands are often subjected to violence, intimidation, forced disappearance, and even murder.
Land Loss
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the area of primary forests worldwide has decreased by more than 80 million hectares since 1990. Every year, about 10 million hectares of forest land disappear around the world, an area equivalent to the size of Iceland. Much of this loss occurs in areas traditionally inhabited by Indigenous Peoples, as these areas are under increasing pressure from different types of industrial development.
Deforestation in the territories of Indigenous Peoples is a critical global issue that intersects environmental degradation with far-reaching environmental, social, rights and cultural consequences. Indigenous communities, who have historically been the stewards of vast tracts of forested land, make up less than 6% of the global population, are stewards of approximately 25% to 28% of the world’s land surface and protect a majority of the planet’s remaining biodiversity - nearly half of the world's endangered mammals have survived because they live on lands protected by Indigenous Peoples. Despite their critical role in conservation, their lands are increasingly targeted for exploitation, leading to widespread deforestation and environmental degradation.
Livelihoods
According to data more than 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forest resources, with 60 million Indigenous people relying on forests for their livelihoods.
Forest loss leads to the disappearance of traditional food sources. Deforestation is directly linked to the increase in malnutrition among Indigenous populations, as a significant portion of nutrients come from forest products. Forests provide food, medicine, and other materials for Indigenous communities. Deforestation disrupts these resources, leading to food insecurity and poverty. The World Health Organization notes that about 80% of the population in developing countries relies on traditional medicine based on forest plants. Deforestation is destroying the natural pharmacies of Indigenous Peoples, many of which are far from modern medical facilities. For example, deforestation has reduced the availability of wild game, food and medicinal plants, threatening the forest-dependent Indigenous groups in such territories as Latin America, Asia, Siberia, and other parts of the world.
Displacement
In turn, deforestation leads to the disruption of traditional practices and cultural erosion of Indigenous Peoples due to their close connection with the natural environment. It breaks this connection, leading to the loss of traditional knowledge, languages and spiritual practices.
Deforestation, caused by economic priorities of the state or private industrial companies, often leads to complete destruction of forest ecosystems, which forces Indigenous People to leave their ancestral lands, and often leads to social conflict. When they are forced to migrate to cities or urban areas they face poverty, discrimination, situations of extreme vulnerability and the loss of traditional skills. A study by the ILO found that unemployment among Indigenous Peoples forced to leave their territories is, on average, three times higher than among the rest of the population. This leads to the disintegration of social ties, the growth of alcoholism, domestic violence and suicide.
Culture
Indigenous Peoples’ relationship with forests does not have borders – it is the foundation of their cultural identity, spiritual beliefs, and social organization. The transmission of traditional knowledge from older to younger generations becomes impossible when the environment in which that knowledge was practiced disappears. Indigenous Peoples know their territories and local ecosystems better than anyone else, this knowledge includes hundreds and thousands of plant species and variations of their use in accordance with the seasons and natural cycles. The loss of this knowledge is an irreparable blow to all of humanity and development in general.
Deforestation destroys not only the physical habitat, but also the cultural heritage and sacred sites that have accumulated over thousands of years, - as forests often contain sites and monuments of great spiritual significance to Indigenous Peoples. Not many people understand that for Indigenous Peoples, the destruction of these sites is the equivalent of the destruction of any churches or, as example, - St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
Rights
The root cause of all this is the lack or insufficient recognition of Indigenous People rights to land, territories, waters and natural resources. Despite the adoption of a number of international documents, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) or ILO Convention 169, the reality in many countries remains difficult.
In most countries where Indigenous Peoples live, there are tensions between the recognition of traditional rights and the laws governing land use, forestry, natural resources and mining. These tensions are often resolved in favor of money and profit over Indigenous Peoples' rights.
Every year, thousands of Indigenous activists and environment defenders (as well as their families and relatives) face violence, criminalization, intimidation, attacks and murders. They are brave men, women, elders and youth who are in the last line of defense for their forest communities against commercial or state-owned industrial companies that destroy everything in their path to economic gain and multimillion-dollar profits.
Globally, 64.8% of all attacks against defenders were against those defending land and territories. All the data on murders is the bare minimum, the tip of the iceberg, as the real data are mostly silenced and obscured. Most countries do not keep such statistics, and those activists who try to bring the truth are harassed or intimidated. The families of the victims are afraid of the fear of retaliation. According to Global Witness, it remains difficult to establish a direct link between the killing of a defender and specific corporate interests, which explains why most deaths are not accounted. In most cases, killings of Indigenous defenders go unpunished. The authorities make little effort in such investigations due to the frequency of these incidents, the collusion of the authorities with illegal armed actors or multinational corporations, and a general lack of interest in issues concerning Indigenous Peoples.
Solutions
Addressing the problem of deforestation in Indigenous territories requires a comprehensive approach. Such an approach should be based on:
- Legally recognized rights of Indigenous Peoples to their ancestral territories and resources, as well as their government systems.
- Recognize traditional management systems, including those based on customary laws of Indigenous Peoples.
- Recognize and implement payments for ecosystem services that compensate Indigenous Peoples for the reduced carbon emissions from forest conservation on their land and territories.
- Develop effective protection mechanisms for activists opposing illegal deforestation and defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples in their territories.
It is important to note and emphasize that the problem of deforestation in Indigenous territories is not a local issue but a global crisis affecting all of humanity. In an era of daily catastrophes, floods, droughts, storms, mudslides, and the degradation of the earth as a whole, the preservation of these forests is crucial for future generations. Indigenous forests will help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, fight climate change, and protect the biological and cultural diversity for the future of Mother Earth.
Top photo by Kohei314
