Indigenous people and nature: A tradition of conservation

For centuries, indigenous people, the custodians of the planet earth, have lived on their ancestral lands in the harmony of nature. They are the guardians of some of the most earth’s precious resources, including many of the planet’s biodiversity hotspots. They have mastered the art of living on the earth without destroying it.

Unfortunately, 370 million indigenous people across the world are among the most vulnerable population. They have been facing immense threats in the name of development induced displacement, mega-dam projects, chemical agriculture and the insatiable greed of the corporate giants to exploit natural resources. Over the years, this has eroded their deep connection with the natural world.

However, there is one more threat to the indigenous people. In the last two decades, a series of conservation initiatives were carried out worldwide. Activists defending the rights of the indigenous community have sternly criticized the appropriation of their territories to create parks, game reserves and sanctuaries in and around their habitats.

On the other hand, according to the conventional conservationists and institutions, the best way to conserve biodiversity is to keep people out – failing to recognise the integral nature between indigenous communities and their landscape.

It should be noted here that indigenous communities have their unique worldview that emphasises the critical role of people in the ecosystem. They acknowledge that human wellbeing largely depends on maintaining a reciprocal relationship with nature.

It could be a watershed moment, the day when scientists, conservationists, policy-makers, government and civil societies will recognise the symbiotic relationship of indigenous people with nature. If it happens, the whole conversation from an old school of conservation outlook will shift from ‘how do we protect nature from people’ to a healthier discussion on ‘how do we conserve nature for the people’. And the time has come to go beyond traditional ‘fortress conservation’ of walling people away from nature. To make this a reality, we need to collaborate with the indigenous people and value their holistic knowledge systems.

There are numerous cases where environment movements and campaigns failed to yield desired results. It has undermined the critical role that indigenous people could play to deal with some of the world’s most pressing challenges like climate change and global warming.

Several studies have revealed that people who lived sustainably with the environment for a long time possess invaluable insights and traditional knowledge, gathered over thousands of years through observation, practicing trial and error method of the adaptive management process. Undoubtedly, they could be the best experts to advise.

This extremely rich indigenous ecological knowledge is often ignored by the scientific community. Many believe that such traditional wisdom may sound promising in a seminar but replicating it on the ground is a daunting task. However, they need to understand that traditional ecological knowledge is a part of the lifestyle, the everyday exercise of engaging with the environment and resources, whilst maintain their health so that we can be healthy.

In short traditional ecological knowledge equals to diversity in harmony. It can advance our understanding of how we can live sustainably on the planet. Respecting indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge, wisdom and cultural values could unlock incredible opportunities to learn from people who continue to live in sync with nature. This will substantially reinforce our modern scientific knowledge.

Therefore, if we respect the rights of indigenous people over their land, forest and water, we can stem the biodiversity loss and protect the future of our planet. It is high time to provide a platform for the indigenous people to amplify their voices, incorporate their advice in scientific assessments, as well as promote partnership between scientists, government and indigenous communities.