(Commonwealth)__Take only what you need, Iwokrama Forest short film, is a most effective environmental sustainability lesson. The film narrates how the Guyanese government, specialists, and Iwokrama Forest Indigenous Peoples work together for biodiversity conservation and enhancement. Their cooperative action is proof that natural resource management can yield a productive ecosystem for years to come.
Commonwealth countries’ indigenous and local people’s communities (IPLCs) have had a long association with nature and with land for as long as anyone can think. This connection strongly emphasises the need to engage with these citizens and prioritise their voices in efforts to combat the triple threat of climate change, loss of biodiversity, and land degradation. The United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples on 9 August annually reminds states of their role in this regard. One recent sign of appreciation was during COP 29 in Azerbaijan, when the Commonwealth Living Lands Program employed the Iwokrama Forest film as an official side event to disseminate the Makushi Amerindian people’s success story. Theirs is just one of millions of contributions from local individuals and Indigenous Peoples that are often undervalued or overlooked in conservation and sustainable development efforts.
In Iwokrama, in this case, Amerindian communities and the Iwokrama International Centre (IIC) jointly share responsibility for the care of the forest, an unadulterated manifestation of co-responsibility and community conservation. Their thirty years of cooperation increasingly have become a model of success. They have established sustainable tourism, maintained biodiversity through sustainable forestry management, and encouraged community development in collaborative cooperation. The Iwokrama narrative demonstrates that scientific research augmented by indigenous knowledge and facilitatory governance can maintain ecosystems and ensure sustainable means of livelihood.
The same concept is implemented in New Zealand, whose Whanganui River was safeguarded by the Māori for over 700 years. They believe the river is alive and that their physical and spiritual health is tied to the river’s health. Their values are stewardship and interdependence that ensure the environmental health of the river for the future generation. In acknowledgement of the genius of this vision, the government of New Zealand enacted the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017. The trailblazing legislation accorded personhood status to the river in its indivisible whole as a living organism. The Act supplies a legal framework for guarding the river’s natural capital while sharing Indigenous guardianship values. The statute is a specific example of the manner in which Indigenous culture can inform modern environmental conservation and legal paradigms.
Through the Commonwealth, the conventions give the highest priority to Indigenous culture and knowledge in climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation. This issue is supported by the Commonwealth Living Lands Charter, which enlists Indigenous efforts to address climate change through the preservation of heritage and customary practices. Through its IPLCs and local communities thematic working group, coordinated by the Fijian and Nigerian governments, the Charter assists member states and partners in forming successful partnerships with IPLCs and internalising their knowledge in environmental action.
With planning for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, already underway, Indigenous people’s representation is more critical than ever. Their experience, knowledge, and centuries of living in the natural world supply invaluable information on how to be successful in the pursuit of climate objectives throughout the world. The effectiveness of this type of conservation is reinforced by examples such as the achievements at Iwokrama in Guyana and the Whanganui River in New Zealand, where Indigenous peoples are granted equal authority.
A wealthier world is one that recognises and encourages Indigenous leadership of environmental stewardship. From their centuries of living in harmony with nature, they have acquired empirical and theological means of balancing human development and nature preservation. It must be institutionalised at all levels of decision-making so that the world will be a place to live where human beings and nature can coexist harmoniously.
