Indigenous peoples in Colombia have been granted the authority to protect, manage and conserve biodiversity within their territories according to their knowledge. On Oct. 15, Colombian President Gustavo Petro issued the decree (1275), which lays out the standards required for Indigenous authorities to issue regulations regarding the protection, preservation, use and management of natural resources in their territories and effective coordination with state authorities. These powers will be exercised according to their self-government structures. Many Indigenous peoples in Colombia have welcomed the decree, saying it is a key step toward historical justice that “not only benefits Indigenous peoples but the rest of society,” as Darío Mejía Montalvo, an Indigenous leader of the Zenu people of Colombia and former president of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, told Mongabay over text messages. Indigenous Guards from the mountains of Miraflores, Quinchía, department of Risaralda, Colombia. Image courtesy of Sandra Bejarano Aguirre. Indigenous authorities have controlled, conserved and protected these territories for millennia, without recognition by decree or law, Angel Aquileo Yagarí Vélez, a leader of the Emberá Chamí peoples from the Cristianía Indigenous reservation in Jardín who also welcomed the decision, told Mongabay via voice messages. With these new powers, Indigenous peoples will have greater control over the granting of environmental licenses to multinational companies to extract natural resources on their lands, Yagarí said. However, it is unclear how projects that require environmental licenses and are currently the responsibility of the National Authority of Environmental Licenses and the Regional Autonomous Corporations…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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