Title: Indigenous People as a Means of Conservation
1Indigenous People as a Means of Conservation
- Katie Jorgenson
- Caitlin Kelly
2Background
- Amazon rainforest covers 4.1 million square km of
land - The Amazon is also home to extreme biodiversity
- One third of the worlds species can be found in
the Amazon rainforest - Extremely humid with a rainfall exceeding 2,000
millimeters per year
World Bank. "Brazilian Amazon Rain Forest Fact
Sheet". 2005. http//web.worldbank.org (8 March
2006).
Photo http//magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/040
3/feature1/zoom2.html
3Deforestation
- Began in the early 1970s
- Linked to the strength of the economy
- Large businesses are mostly large cattle ranchers
and agriculture, if they thrive deforestation
rates increase - One of the greatest threats to the Amazon
rainforest is soy bean production - lot of investment into the farming of soy beans
because they are in demand
Fearnside, PM. 2005. "Deforestation in Brazilian
Amazonia History, Rates, and Consequences".
Conservation Biology 19 (3)680-688.
4Deforestation contd
- Increase in deforestation and logging leads to an
increase in forest fires - Fragmented forests dry out easier making it
easier to reach conditions that cause forest
fires - Causes exploitation of environmental resources
- Loss of habitat to animals and plants
- Creates soil erosion
- Changes the water cycle
- Devastating for hydropower
- Disturbs river ecosystems
Fearnside, PM. 2005. "Deforestation in Brazilian
Amazonia History, Rates, and Consequences".
Conservation Biology 19 (3)680-688.
5How Reserves Conserve
- In 1988, Brazil amended its constitution to
protect the lands of indigenous to preserve the
environmental and economic stability of the land
that ensures reproduction of indigenous culture. - The federally-owned lands traditionally occupied
by indigenous peoples are unregulated for
resource extraction by third parties allowing
for environmental degradation of these protected
lands from foreign influences - Illegal mahogany trade, gold mining, ranchers,
and road construction
Schwartzman, S., and Zimmerman, B. 2005.
"Conservation Alliances with Indigenous Peoples
of the Amazon". Conservation Biology. 19 (3)
721-727.
6How Reserves Conserve contd
- Without resources for surveillance and
enforcement, the impending pressures of invasive
activities risk both the rich biodiversity of
indigenous reserves and the vulnerable
traditional cultures inhabiting them. - A study from the Jackson Hole Research Center
concluded that indigenous reserves can inhibit
deforestation despite strong forces around them - 33 of the 38 indigenous reserves studied
exhibited .75 deforestation or less while
surrounded by areas that are deforested at a rate
of 1.5 annually.
Nepstad, D., Schwartzman, S., Bamberger, B.,
Santilli, M., Ray, D., Schlisinger, P., Lefebvre,
P., Alencar, A., Prinz, E., Fiske, Greg, and
Rolla, Alicia. 2006. Inhibition of Amazon
Deforestation and Fire by Parks and Indigenous
Lands. Conservation Biology 20 (1) 65-73.
7Indigenous Reserves and Areas of Active Forest
Fires
- The state of the Brazilian Amazon from GOES
satellite in 1998 (a) natural distubrances in
the Brazilian Amazon, gray lines indicate
highways, while the Indigenous Reserve, labeled
Ka represents the Kayapo reserve (b) Red
indicates active fires detected by the GOES
satellite during 1998. (Nepstad et al. 2005)
8Benefits of Communal Conservation EffortsFrom
Forest Trends and Ecoagricultural Partners
- A commitment of resident peoples to biodiversity
conservation and a willingness to invest over the
long-term, reducing the costs of conservation. - Income generated to reduce poverty, sustain
livelihoods and reduce pressures. - A wider range of ecosystems and biodiversity
protected across biological corridors and
political boundaries. - An approach consistent with movements for
Indigenous Peoples greater land rights and an
asset for creation among the poor. - An approach that facilitates the application of
indigenous ecological knowledge to management and
protection. - More local employment and expertise created for
biodiversity conservation, complementing
expertise in parks and forest agencies and
reducing the dependency on top-down initiatives. - More financial resources mobilized, increasing
the available funds for ecologically critical
protected areas.
Molnar, Augusta, Scherr, Sara J., and Khare,
Arvind. Who Conserves the Worlds Forests? A New
Assessment of Conservation and Trends. Forest
Trends and Ecoagricultural Partners Washington
DC, 2004. 12-14, 48-50.
9Kayapó Case Study
- Conservation International in Brazil forged an
alliance with the Kayapó people in 1992 - Their territories contain more than thirteen
million hectares of Amazonian forest within the
Parà and Mata Grosso states
- The alliance aimed to curb the allure of
contracts that cause reserve destruction, such as
mahogany logging and gold mining, which provide
the Kayapó people with income to further protect
their lands.
Zimmerman, B., Peres, C.A., Malcolm, J.R., and
Turner, T. 2001. Conservation and Development
Alliances with the Kayapo of South-Eastern
Amazonia, a Tropical Indigenous People.
Environmental Conservation 28 (1) 10-22.
Photo http//gruppen.greenpeace.de/aachen/wald-fo
tos-indianer.html
10Kayapó Case Study contd
- The project also strove to empower the indigenous
leaders development decisions by providing them
with research information. - Protect broadleaf mahogany populations from
harvest, ensuring the biological diversity of the
reserve. - The alliance created the Pinkaiti ecological
research station that would attract researchers
to the reserve.
Zimmerman, B., Peres, C.A., Malcolm, J.R., and
Turner, T. 2001. Conservation and Development
Alliances with the Kayapo of South-Eastern
Amazonia, a Tropical Indigenous People.
Environmental Conservation 28 (1) 10-22.
11Kayapó Reserve A Success Story
- The benefits of increased research opportunities
from research station include - Preserving indigenous knowledge within research
studies - Sustain the local economy by creating employment
positions at the ecological research station - Continuing to validate the Kayapó people from
mutually advantageous relationships with outside
influences - The infrastructure created for research stations
may accrue other occasions for economic growth of
the Kayapó people - Non-invasive ecotourism
- Producing other non-timber goods, such as brazil
nuts
Zimmerman, B., Peres, C.A., Malcolm, J.R., and
Turner, T. 2001. Conservation and Development
Alliances with the Kayapo of South-Eastern
Amazonia, a Tropical Indigenous People.
Environmental Conservation 28 (1) 10-22.
12Amazon Conservation Team
- Mission statement to work in partnership with
indigenous people in conserving biodiversity,
health, and culture in tropical America" - Believes that biodiversity conservation is most
obvious where indigenous cultures thrive - ACT provides indigenous people with the means to
conserve their land
About ACT". 2006 http//amazonteam.org/about.html
(4 March 2006).
13Mapping Projects
- Brought together 14 of the tribes of the Xingu
- Indigenous people create their own maps with
guidance from ACT members - Maps are used to guide future planning, risk
assessment, and the assessment of areas that are
in need of protection - Maps have help protect the borders from illegal
activities
"ACT Projects". 2006 http//amazonteam.org/project
s.html (4 March 2006).
Photo http//amazonteam.org/northeast.html
14Mapping contd
- Provided strategic placement of new villages on
borders - Brazils environmental protection agency has
teamed up with tribes to manage the parks natural
resources - Signed agreements have been made to introduce
protection activities into other territories that
are in need of environmental protection
"ACT Projects". 2006 http//amazonteam.org/project
s.html (4 March 2006).
15Shamans and Apprentices Program
- Keep culture and traditional values of the
indigenous people alive - Elder teaches a younger member in the tribe
traditional medicine
- Thousands of years of knowledge is passed on
- ACT establishes new healthcare programs
- Provides traditional healing and western medicine
"ACT Projects". 2006 http//amazonteam.org/project
s.html (4 March 2006).
Photo http//amazonteam.org/northeast.html