Indigenous Peoples’ Voices
The African protected Areas Congress preparatory meeting was organized and held in Nairobi by IMPACT Kenya and other African Indigenous organizations, with the aim to discuss and set ground on the 30*30 conservation target on Indigenous peoples’ pathways to inclusive and just conservation, securing tenure rights towards biodiversity and traditional knowledge, and financial resource mobilization and management in regards to the 1.7billion Glasgow pledge in preparation to the upcoming APAC in Kigali, Rwanda.
Our CEO Mali Ole Kaunga urged the participants of the need to work collectively as one and frame well how to advance their grievances at the APAC in Rwanda.” Its time to stop complaining and take action as conservationists, we need to challenge government policies that do not recognize Indigenous people. The government should formulate pastoral friendly policies and agendas that recognize the voices of indigenous peoples’ He said
Jennifer Corpus of Nia Tero during her presentation on the 30*30 conservation target and the 1.7billion Glasgow pledge reminds us of the need for the FPIC tool for the recognition of Indigenous people’s territories and contributions. She further encourages us to consider other options as the protected areas belong to the governments, like the conserved areas which bring good biodiversity outcomes governed using Indigenous Peoples elements
During this workshop, a delegate speaking of the current eviction situation in Tanzania quoted ‘our hearts are bleeding, many Maasai’s are out in hiding and this makes it the right time to say no to violations of Indigenous peoples’.
High-value biodiversities are located in Indigenous people’s lands, conservation should include the space of Indigenous peoples in regard to land injustices,and therefore conservation practices that do not have the rights of the people should be revised.
Speaking to Citizen tv on behalf of the Indigenous Peoples our CEO Mali Ole Kaunga says we stand in solidarity with the people of Loliondo Tanzania and urged their government to stop the act of detaining, killing and evicting Indigenous Peoples.
