Interactive Discussion

From Manuel Morales Mite on Policy Advocacy

Regarding the broader topic of indigenous, communal territories, and protected areas governance (Chapter 31) of the Science Panel for the Amazon report, I find it important to highlight the following lessons learned: There is no future for the Amazon without the involvement of their people in the management and decision-making process revolving around their natural resources. The evidence has shown that deforestation, fragmentation, and other destructive activities have diminished into indigenous-managed territories. Additionally, the present legal framework in all the national cases analyzed has significantly evolved toward the recognition of local people´s rights and identities and is working toward the inclusion of their traditional ecological knowledge in the managerial practices implemented in their territories. 

 

Some recommendations seem to be relevant for further advancing the proposed future managerial schemes:  Capacity building is determinant toward the goal of self-managed forest and territories by local indigenous people; stakeholder´s will and enabling legal frameworks will not be enough if indigenous and communal organizations do not have the knowledge and technological tools needed to properly decide over their resource´s management. Closely related to this idea, external stakeholders must accompany the implementation of this process, namely, local and international NGOs, the government, and other grassroot organizations, among others, to provide advisory, and shared experiences. It is also key to identify funding and self-sustainable means through innovative development processes and entrepreneurship to ensure medium to long-term sustainability to the managerial process started. Finally, we need to acknowledge that every single case is different and will require solutions tailored to their own needs and organizational level. The enormous cultural and ecological diversity of the Amazon region has shaped their local realities through history and deserves to be properly addressed accordingly.