I call on the world to join our fight.” - Gregorio Mirabal, Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin, Venezuela. The voice of the people must be respected. It is very sad that the United Nations only speaks to the presidents because their governments do not listen to us. “The oil that comes out of the Amazon, the gold - these natural resources feed development models, but we are left with garbage, oil pollution and mercury in the rivers. The cause is partly climate change, but these changes can also be linked to our government’s dismantling of environmental policy.” - Dinamam Tuxá, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, Brazil. This has had a dramatic impact on our culture. Several species - flora and fauna - are disappearing, which has led to a shortage of food and has limited our ability to perform certain rituals. We use the rivers as a means of transport, but the rains have become scarce, isolating many communities. “Our spiritual, ritualistic and cultural practices are closely linked to the flow of nature. We want to be seen as partners in this fight.” - Gustavo Sánchez, the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests, Mexico. But in practice they say that where you put the money you put the heart, and governments are not putting the heart. “Everyone agrees on the conservation of nature, on fighting climate change. ‘And you must fight for your future.’ That gave me the drive to finish college and return to work for my community.” - Yaily Castillo, the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests, Panama. ‘You are the next generation,’ my father told me. It is not just a territory it is more than that. We are dressing Mother Earth.” - Briceida Iglesias, the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests, Panama. The women in my community have planted trees, bananas, cassava. “For us, the plants, the trees have life, they have a spirit, that’s why we have to respect it, take care of it and protect it. They work to protect their rights and territories, amounting to nearly 3.5 million square miles of land across the planet. Indigenous peoples and communities, working in the Americas, Indonesia and Africa joined forces and together became the Global Alliance of Territorial Communities. But their warnings have too often been ignored. ![]() As the climate crisis escalates, activists fighting to protect what remain of the world’s forests are at risk of being persecuted by their governments - and even at risk of death.įor decades Indigenous activists have been sounding the alarm. ![]() Even relatively small changes in temperature or rainfall can make their lands more susceptible to rising sea levels, droughts and forest fires. The natural resources that Indigenous peoples depend on are inextricably linked to their identities, cultures and livelihoods.
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