Two years ago, at COP16 in Cali, Colombia, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) were recognised for their contributions to protecting the environment and after years of demand, the Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) and Other Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity Related to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities was established as a permanent body.
IPLCs manage as much as 42 per cent of the world’s land that hold at least 36 per cent of global key biodiversity areas. IPLCs maintain that they are best suited to protect the earth and ensure that the world achieves the targets set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
But is there evidence to support their claim?
The report Local Biodiversity Outlooks 3 released on day 2 of the COP17 being held in Yerevan, Armenia has 56 case studies of how Indigenous Peoples and local communities are implementing the KMGBF. The publication is aligned with the CBD’s global stocktaking processes.
Overall, the report shows that IPLCs are indeed central to KMGBF implementation. Their customary sustainable use underpins a healthy planet and healthy peoples. However, for the IPLCs to work to their best, it is important to remove structural barriers that harm people and planet. The day saw multiple civil society organisations representing IPLCs and women’s group demand that steps are taken to empower these communities.
Four of the 56 case studies in the report are from India. For example, in Nagaland, many villages have voluntarily established Community Conserved Areas (CCA) which are forest zones where hunting, logging and other extractive industries are restricted to allow ecosystems to recover. The Nagaland Community Conserved Areas Forum, connects over 407 CCAs.
Similarly, in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in India, communities are working to manage invasive species. Members from communities such as Bettakuruma, Kattunayaka and Paniya have been trained to work as ‘Barefoot Ecologists’. They not only clear invasive species, but also recreate a healthy, diverse forest that supports biodiversity.
In the Sundarban area escalating climate threats due to sea-level rise, salinity intrusion and recurrent cyclones impact the community. Here, local communities have been involved in a project to restore and conserve indigenous rice varieties that are naturally adapted to such harsh deltaic conditions. They have assessed 54 traditional rice varieties for climate adaptability, yield stability and economic performance. They found that 19 types surpassed commercial hybrids during saline stress.
For a world struggling to grow enough food in a climate risked world, experiments such as this example from the Sundarbans give hope. An analysis of National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAP) shows that 97 per cent of the plans include agroecology and governments want to switch to nature friendly farming; 86 per cent of NBSAPs contain a target and 82 per cent have a policy action related to agroecology. But only 51per cent of NBSAPs mention all the connected interventions: state a commitment, add an indicator to track progress, name an institution to lead, and attach financing.
COP17 is still in early stages and discussion have just begun. Already multiple contact groups have been formed to address issues such as the budget; sustainable wildlife management; the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; resource mobilization; biodiversity mainstreaming; Digital Sequence Information; and the Global Review of collective progress in implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.