It is time to recognize that the Western conservation model has serious historical flaws and cannot achieve global targets alone. We, Indigenous peoples, offer another way. It is just a few days until the beginning of COP16 when countries worldwide will meet to discuss biodiversity protection. The Conference of the Parties (COP) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024, in Cali, Colombia, with a focus on the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). The outcomes of COP16 have the power to change how countries worldwide deal with biodiversity protection. A key pillar of the KMGBF is the aim to protect 30% of the planet’s lands, waters, and seas by 2030. COP16 occurs as the world faces extreme events fueled by climate change. What scientists were predicting for a “distant” future is happening now, and it is happening faster than expected. Biodiversity is not in a better place today: According to a global report, one million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. Canangucho, the fruit of the moriche palm, Wuasipungo Indigenous territory, Colombia. Image courtesy of J.J. Javier via Nia Tero. The discussions at COP16 cannot happen without considering the role of Indigenous communities in protecting biodiversity and thriving ecosystems. Approximately 40% of Earth’s remaining intact ecosystems are sustained by Indigenous peoples. Globally, biodiversity thrives on Indigenous-governed lands, which play a vital role in protecting biological diversity through land stewardship, management practices, and traditional knowledge. Lands managed…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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