A message from Amazon leaders to world leaders: we are ready to heal the Amazon, the first step to saving the planet
*** Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon Basin met in Bogotá this week, and released a declaration calling for the consolidation of the biggest environmental and cultural corridor in the world to unite protected areas with indigenous territories, recover degraded areas and promote the sustainable use of the forest ***
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (August 17, 2018). On the eve of a major biodiversity summit at the United Nations, leaders and elders from the major indigenous federations across the Amazon basin are calling for world leaders to protect half the planet, and promote a critical dialogue amongst the governments of the Amazon region, to tackle the crisis affecting the biggest forest on the planet. The call comes out of a four day summit in which leaders discussed the best options, based on their ancestral wisdom, for preserving and protecting the vast territory covering almost 200 million hectares from the Andes to the Amazon rainforest to the Atlantic.
At the close of this meeting, the assembled indigenous organizations released a declaration encouraging governments and other international bodies to "unite forces to build strategies to visualize and recognize the importance of this corridor, as a first step toward guaranteeing the existence of all forms of life on our planet," and to "weave alliances and commitments to promote, protect and make visible the Andes-Amazon-Atlantic Corridor, its biodiversity, its cultures and the sacredness of its territory" (1).
This historic Amazon summit ran for three days in Bogotá this week, finishing today with a formal presentation to governments, cooperation agencies and civil society groups. The meeting was led by indigenous representatives, and financed by small donations from Avaaz members worldwide. Technical support was provided by the Gaia Amazonas Foundation.
Indigenous leaders from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela (2) developed a vision with the potential to safeguard an immense swath of the Amazon rainforest by pursuing an indigenous, holistic perspective. The interconnected environmental corridor as envisioned, is the same size as Mexico. In total the assembled delegates represent more than 400 nations. (3)
Tuntiak Katan, Vice President of the Coalition of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), was present at the summit and said:
"For us the Amazon basin is sacred. Some say it's the lungs of the world, for us it is the heart of the world, and in this heart we find an immense concentration of biodiversity and cultural diversity. Yet it's here that they're pushing ahead with more extractive and industrial activities."
Harol Rincón Ipuchima, secretary general of Amazon organization OPIAC, host and co-organizer of the summit with Avaaz, said:
"As indigenous leaders, we're willing to share our knowledge and wisdom with any government that is genuinely willing to listen. This week we developed a vision to heal the Amazon, with an idea that can benefit us all. We'll show you how it can be done. World leaders need to know that we can't wait any longer: if we want to survive, we have to protect half of the earth, and this is our first step.
Oscar Soria, Avaaz senior campaigner and representative at the meeting of Amazon leaders, said:
"Avaaz celebrates and supports this enormous step forward for indigenous leadership. The Amazon corridor is the first step toward saving half of our planet. Indigenous people are owners of 23% of the planet's land, and all the available evidence confirms that they are the best guardians of the planet. The goal of protecting 50% of the planet is reachable when and where indigenous leaders and communities are front and center in efforts to heal our planet. They can show us the way."
From November 17-29 this year, the United Nations will call on world leaders from over 190 countries to strengthen efforts to reduce the loss of biodiversity, and to protect ecosystems that provide water, health and food security to billions of people. The UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 14 of the Convention on Biological Diversity) will take place in Egypt. Indigenous Amazon leaders plan to attend the summit, to share concrete and successful examples of sustainable resource management and ecosystem recovery, such as the case of the Amazon corridor.
Avaaz is initiating a series of conversations, and bringing a variety of actors and stakeholders together around the global goal of protecting and restoring half of the planet by 2050. There is a growing consensus among scientists that this level of global habitat restoration could leave us with the necessary base of protected ecosystems worldwide to help weather the climate crisis and continuing biodiversity loss.
Protecting half the planet isn't a new idea. Renowned scientists and conservation experts have proposed protecting 50% of the earth for wilderness, and devoting the other 50% to sustainable human management and development. Scientists say if we protect 50% of the planet from extractive, agricultural, mining, logging and industrial activities, the earth's ecosystems can restabilize and regenerate, and the planet's immense diversity can continue to thrive. END
Notes for Editors:
(1) The complete declaration of the indigenous leaders can be found here.
(2) The indigenous delegates participating in this meeting represent the majority of the organizations of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, organized under the COICA (Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin) and its national chapters: ORPIA (Regional Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of Amazonas - Venezuela), APA (Amerindian Peoples Association of Guyana), FOAG (Federation Organizations Autochtones Guyane), OIS (Organization Van Inheemsen in Suriname), COIAB (Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon), CIDOB (Confederation of the Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia), AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle) and CONFENIAE (Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon), and OPIAC (National Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon).
(3) Information on the national organizations that are members of the confederation of organizations COICA :
Brazil: COIAB (Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon): brings together 75 member organizations from all the states of the Brazilian Amazon (Amazonas, Acre, Amapá, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins) that represent 160 indigenous nations with around 430,000 people (which corresponds to almost 60% of the Brazilian indigenous population) deployed on more than 110 million hectares of the Amazonian territory.
Peru AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle) is the confederation that brings together more than 65 federations, representing more than 1,800 communities where more than 650,000 indigenous people live, including 16 linguistic families.
Bolivia: CIDOB (Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia): founded in Santa Cruz de la Sierra with the participation of representatives of the four main indigenous nations of eastern Bolivia (Guaraní-izoceños, Chiquitanos, Ayoreos and Guarayos). The other indigenous peoples were included later to finally gather 34 nationalities and indigenous peoples living in the Oriente, Chaco and Amazonia, located in seven of the nine departments of the country: Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, Tarija, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba and La Paz.
Colombia: OPIAC (National Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon) includes 22 federations representing 56 nations in 162 indigenous reservations and inhabiting an area of more than 24 million hectares.
Ecuador: CONFENIAE (Confederation of the Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon) represents about 1,500 communities of the following indigenous nations: Kichwa, Shuar, Achuar, Waorani, Sapara, Andwa, Shiwiar, Cofan, Siona, Secoya and Quijos.
Venezuela: ORPIA (Regional Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of Amazonas - Venezuela) brings together 19 organizations representing 19 indigenous peoples.
Guyana: APA (Amerindian Peoples Association of Guyana): with its headquarters in Georgetown, it includes 5 chapters that include 70,000 indigenous people in 10 departments and represent the following 9 indigenous peoples: Lokono Arawak, Akawaio, Arecuna, Carinya (Carib), Makushi , Patamona, Wai Wai, Wapishana and Warrau.
French Guyana: FOAG (Federation Organizations Autochtones Guyane) includes all Amazon indigenous peoples who represent about 20 indigenous organizations.
Suriname: OIS (Organization Van Inheemsen in Suriname): comprises 9 indigenous peoples representing about 40,000 people in 10 departments and 55 settlements. They participated in the creation of the recent South Suriname Conservation Corridor with an extension of 7.2 million hectares, which represents 40% of the national territory.
Here are some quotes from the indigenous leaders who attended this international meeting:
Angela Kaxuyana (or Isaias Pereira Fontes-Baniwa) of COIAB, Brazil: "We are not discussing the creation of a corridor, we are discussing 'THE RECOGNITION' of a corridor that already exists, and that the States decided to divide with borders".
Guillermo Arana, from ORPIA, Venezuela: "This initiative is a moral obligation to unite efforts beyond egos and individual struggles for indigenous or environmental rights. It's an initiative to save what's left of life on the planet. "
Michael John McGarrell, of APA, Guyana: "As indigenous people we are demonstrating to world leaders that certain initiatives can not only improve the lives of our people but they can also mitigate climate change. This not only benefits individual countries but can benefit the world as a whole. "
Wilma Mendoza Miro, from CIDOB, Bolivia: "I think this initiative is important, we indigenous peoples share the same thinking about the protection of biodiversity. Today we have many challenges, but the shared vision of this corridor unites us and gives us hope. "
Marcos Domingo Tanguila Alvarado, representative of the original nation of Quijos, from CONFENIAE, Ecuador: "We hope that the decision of this common force will be a tool to look for a strategic line of development towards a future as a corridor of new life".
Harol Rincon Ipuchima, from OPIAC, Colombia: "From our knowledge that is rooted in the tropical rainforest, we take care of the world. The role of indigenous peoples in this initiative is fundamental. It is the pillar that supports this initiative. It is more than proven that traditional knowledge through much experience has allowed the Amazon to stay alive."
Adolfo Chávez, indigenous leader of CIDOB Bolivia: "Here is the answer that we indigenous peoples are giving to humanity" (referring to the corridor).
Jorge Pérez, from AIDESEP, Peru: "In this this corridor of the anaconda you can see the vision of the indigenous peoples, reflected in the river; this AAA corridor has this vision. The corridor will help unite efforts for the defense of rights and the conservation of our territory to safeguard our culture and cope with global warming."