Indigenous people seek leadership, respect in biodiversity battle

Indigenous leaders from Brazil, Canada, Indonesia and other countries gathered to call for nature protection that centres Indigenous rights, on the sidelines of the COP15 conference in Montreal, Canada, December 9, 2022 [Courtesy Toma Iczkovits/Greenpeace]

Montreal, Canada – Indigenous communities are demanding a leadership role in the protection of global biodiversity, as a United Nations conference on saving critical ecosystems is putting a spotlight on the importance of Indigenous stewardship of land and waters.

Calls to put Indigenous rights and decision-making at the heart of biodiversity initiatives have grown louder as representatives from nearly 200 countries meet in Canada this month for talks aiming to hash out a plan to tackle the rapid decline of animals, plants and other organisms.