Ensure the Participation of Indigenous Peoples in UN Climate Change Policies
Deforestation and forest degradation account for an estimated 15-20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, which means protecting forests is a critical tool to combat climate change.
Too often the needs of local people are overlooked or ignored in forest conservation projects. EcoLogic, a U.S.-based nonprofit, has over 15 years of experience working with Latin American indigenous communities to help them develop projects which balance forest conservation with human needs. Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) carbon projects provide a unique mechanism for rural people to receive financial compensation for protecting their forests.
Forest conservation projects are best sustained with the participation of local and indigenous people. EcoLogic encourages the establishment and clarification of land rights for local and indigenous people with the development of forest conservation projects. This December, EcoLogic will attend the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COP 16) in Cancun, Mexico to voice its support of the participation of local and indigenous communities in forest conservation.
Please encourage the UN-REDD Programme to safeguard guarantees contained in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, particularly requiring free, prior, and informed consent of local and indigenous peoples in REDD forest conservation project development.
Dear Dr. Katerere,
As the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD) develops its policies for COP-16 in Mexico, I am writing to encourage you to promote the participation of local and indigenous peoples. They are the key to conserving standing forests and restoring degraded forests to combat global climate change.
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In particular, EcoLogic encourages integration of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in REDD projects and policies, including: a) free, prior, and informed consent of local and indigenous people in REDD project development; b) land rights based on traditional ownership, occupation, and use; and c) a transparent and fair process to recognize and adjudicate these rights.
I strongly support the EcoLogic position that indigenous people must be an active part of the solution to protect the world's forests.
Thank you for your time.
