Indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador wins decades-long battle to protect land
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
Ecuador’s National System of Protected Areas now includes the 13,583-acre ancestral Tiwi Nunka Forest in the country’s south.
It is one of the largest land transfers made to an Indian nation in the United States, officials said, and the first time that land has been returned directly to a New York tribe.
The African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights has ruled that the Kenyan government must pay reparations for repeatedly evicting Indigenous Ogiek people from ancestral lands in the Mau Forest.
Environmentalists say the mix of traditional knowledge from Indigenous elders, hands-on community engagement, and Western science offer a model for improved conservation.
Colleagues said Crowley, a well-regarded barrister and former crown prosecutor who was made Queen’s Counsel in 2018, had broken a significant barrier for First Nations people.
A coexistence agreement signed between the Nukak and local campesinos is bringing the Indigenous community closer to returning to their territory.
The plan relies on curtailing dependence on oil and mining projects for economic development and implementing ancestral agroforestry systems and conservation projects.
The Tribe plans to educate the public about their history by constructing a replica 16th-century village and expand their “Return to the River” program.
The plan’s 28 goals are spread through five themes, including restoring truth, sharing power, financial reparations, and actions for the Indigenous Affairs Office.
Many sites have been transformed into burgeoning forests. The communities now have more options for forest-based livelihood, such as agroforestry or even selling carbon credits.