(Image: ejaugsburg via Pixabay)
The modern conservation
mindset is based on a misconception. According to environmental
journalist Michelle Nijhuis, environmentalism is a nostalgic enterprise
for wanting to achieve a human-free state that has long since ceased to
exist.
Carolina Avendano
July 2nd, 2022
Up to 21 percent of all land on Earth is ecologically intact due to the conservation practices of indigenous peoples and the local communities that inhabit these areas, according to the 2021 report by the ICCA indigenous rights organisation. The modern conservationist mindset falls short in failing to recognise that the land depends upon its indigenous communities. It does not need to be protected from them.
If protected areas overseen by different national efforts amount to 14 percent of the global territory, according to the ICCA report mentioned above, then indigenous and local communities conserve ecosystems at a rate of 50 percent more than national parks and nature sanctuaries do.
A biodiversity study showed that the biodiversity of indigenous-managed lands equaled – and often exceeded – that of protected areas in Australia, Brazil and Canada; while other research found that the rate of loss of intact forest landscapes is significantly lower in indigenous peoples' territories than in other lands.
The role of indigenous peoples in conservation
A territory is said to be traditionally occupied if a population has inhabited and interacted with its environment for at least several centuries. The ICCA estimates that about 32 percent of global land is occupied in this way. But what is the criteria for these areas to be considered "in good ecological condition" by the UN World Conservation Monitoring Center?
Indigenous cultures have always been characterized by rich cultures and traditions. Although each community is unique, they generally share a common belief based on the unity of man with nature, in which the environment is sacred and humanity is naturally part of it.
It is common among Aboriginal groups to have a view of nature imbued with cultural and spiritual meaning. (Image: StockSnap via Pixabay)
In their daily activities, the indigenous people ensure a balance with the environment so that it continues to provide them with water, food, shelter and the medicines they need to survive. These practices that have been transmitted in the form of traditional knowledge.
The Awá tribe in Brazil can distinguish 31 species of honey bees. In fact, protecting bees is one of their priorities. The natives understand that bees are essential for the pollination of plants, which promotes the biodiversity of the ecosystem's flora and ensures food sources for both humans and animals.
To preserve the biodiversity of an ecosystem, indigenous and local communities have long used controlled fires and grazing to regulate crop rotations and restrict the growth of invasive species.
This is popular with Solegas in India, who use the garbage fire regimen to prevent the invasive Lantana camara plant from outcompeting other native plants and becoming a danger to animals.
Everything in moderation
While most Aboriginal communities hunt for survival, they do so sustainably. Members of the Baka tribe in Cameroon and Gabon never hunt young animals, thus allowing the species to reproduce.
Communities like the San group in southern Africa hunt animals using handmade weapons, mainly a bow with poisoned arrows. According to Robert K. Hitchcock, a research professor at the University of New Mexico, a tribesman who has been successful several times in a row will stop hunting for a period of time.
Similarly, if an individual is believed to be overhunting, the issue is usually raised in the community and addressed as part of what the San people call their "conservation ethic."
Trees are also used, but they are not abused. When the Yanomami people occupy a territory, the leaves of palm trees are typically use to roof the tribe's houses. Other trees are also felled as a source of wood. However, when indigenous groups know that an area has provided resources to their full capacity, they move to other territories, allowing the ecosystem to recover.
Research has shown that indigenous management reduces deforestation more effectively than official land 'protection'. In Latin America, for example, indigenous management was found to be almost twice as effective as any other form of conservation, the situation being similar in Africa.
Where does the modern conservation mindset fall short?
According to environmental journalist Michelle Nijhuis, the modern conservation movement was based on a misconception. In her article, Nijhuis explains that the human impact on the environment is not a recent phenomenon, but a natural process that has been going on for thousands of years.
Written records reveal that humans have been altering the environment since ancient times. The domestication and spread of various species of flora and fauna, as well as the extinction of species by mass hunting, are examples of the human transformation of ecology, resulting in the ecosystem that modern man has come to know over the last few centuries.
The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to the island of Mauritius, in Madagascar. Human hunting and the destruction of their habitat are some of the factors that contributed to their extinction. (Image: bergslay via Pixabay)
Thus, Nijhuis points out that "there is no such thing as pristine nature," implying that the idea of an ecosystem untouched by humans is idealistic. "'Pristine' landscapes simply do not exist and, in most cases, have not existed for millennia." Today's environmentalism is like a nostalgic pipe dream of a human-free state that ceased to exist long ago.
Environmentalist ideals are therefore at odds with the presence of indigenous communities in ecologically intact areas. Starting from the premise that preserving the environment means protecting it from humans, conservationists often promote the eviction of indigenous and local communities, without recognizing the important role they play in protecting the environment.
Although human influence on the biosphere has been a natural phenomenon throughout history, the impact of modern society on the ecosystem is considerably greater than that of prehistoric humans. "What we see today is truly monumental," said Nijhuis.
Returning to traditional conservation practices, with humans coexisting and caring for nature, whilst curbing the growing material demands that are taxing our planet beyond its capacity, may be a more "green" approach to environmentalism.
The danger of expanding conservation areas
In 2020, the 30 by 30 initiative was launched worldwide, with more than 70 nations pledging to designate 30% of Earth's land and ocean as protected areas by 2030. However, with new research pointing to the low effectiveness of protected areas and its explicit stance on indigenous presence in intact ecosystems, the initiative has become a cause for concern.
Many of today's biodiversity hotspots are on indigenous lands. (Image: Los Muertos Crew via Pexels)
Estimates indicate that 10 million people in developing countries have been forced to relocate to establish protected areas. By criminalising hunting, fishing, and traditional indigenous practices like controlled burning, government policies threaten not only the survival of indigenous communities, but also the delicate environmental balance that these groups have long maintained through generational efforts.
In many cases, indigenous territories have been shown to host more biodiversity than protected areas. (Image: Skyler Ewing via Pexels)
While the controversy continues, some countries have begun to consider the possibility of indigenous and community-led conservation, recognising that the presence of these groups only benefits the protection of the environment.
Since 2002, at least 14 countries have passed laws recognising the rights of indigenous peoples to use and own their land. The general hope is that in the coming years, indigenous traditional knowledge will be respected and recognised as an essential element of any conservation agenda.
Source: https://es.visiontimes.com/2022/07/02/amenaza-ambientalista.html
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