The starting point is for environmental and sustainability organizations like TNC to be sure that indigenous peoples and local communities are true partners in our work. As per the new report from the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), our starting point is to help secure rights for peoples who have been discriminated against for so long. And, to guide our future initiatives, we’ve recently released a new framework based on Voice, Choice and Action.
To mark International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, on August 9th, I would like to draw attention to our work in this area, and also extend the dialogue within TNC and our partners. Frankly, I’d love to hear views on the role that indigenous peoples should play in TNC’s activities going forwards.
What I am seeing is that, when we start with a people-centric, rights-based approach, engaging indigenous peoples and local communities as full partners, we have the opportunity to blend traditional knowledge and science with western knowledge and science. That may be one of our best shots at reorienting our relationship to the one home we have—Planet Earth.
They have much to teach us if we have the humility to listen.