From Jack Vanderryn, the Moriah Fund.In his article "A Challenge to Conservationists," Mac Chapin has raised important issues that need debate and constructive discussion. We appreciate publication of his article for this purpose. The key point we have raised in the dialogue that we have participated in with the large international conservation organizations is that any conservation projects that are planned to take place on indigenous lands or lands owned by local peoples, particularly the large scale efforts that are currently under way or under consideration, need to be planned and designed from the outset with the full participation on an equal partner basis by the affected local and indigenous communities. This is also true when some of the NGOs, such as The Nature Conservancy Nature Conservancy, nonprofit organization established in 1951 to preserve or aid in the preservation of natural environments. It protects wilderness areas in the United States and Canada and is affiliated with similar groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. , World Wildlife Fund, and Conservation International, negotiate with oil and mining companies to minimize the environmental impact and potential loss of biodiversity biodiversity: see biological diversity. biodiversity Quantity of plant and animal species found in a given environment. Sometimes habitat diversity (the variety of places where organisms live) and genetic diversity (the variety of traits expressed of their operations and to enter into arrangements to mitigate mit·i·gate v. To moderate in force or intensity. mit  i·ga tion n. any negative environmental impact
that such operations may cause. It is incumbent upon these NGOs to fully
involve local and indigenous groups in any such negotiations from the
outset.
Often these large conservation organizations indicate that their policies and actions fully respect indigenous rights, and that they work closely with their local partners in the developing world in planning and executing conservation projects. But too often their partners are not the affected groups who have inhabited in·hab·it·ed adj. Having inhabitants; lived in: a sparsely inhabited plain. Adj. 1. inhabited - having inhabitants; lived in; "the inhabited regions of the earth" their territories for hundreds of years. On-the-ground practices of the large conservation NGOs vary, often influenced by their in-country representatives, who may or may not, as individuals, be sympathetic to the rights and needs of the local and indigenous groups. Much more needs to be done by the top management of the large NGOs to change the culture of their organizations so that they recognize the current unequal power balance between them and the affected local and indigenous groups and act to redress Compensation for injuries sustained; recovery or restitution for harm or injury; damages or equitable relief. Access to the courts to gain Reparation for a wrong. REDRESS. The act of receiving satisfaction for an injury sustained. some of this imbalance imbalance /im·bal·ance/ (im-bal´ans) 1. lack of balance, such as between two opposing muscles or between electrolytes in the body. 2. dysequilibrium (2). . An important step in this direction is to involve local and indigenous peoples The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. from the outset as equal partners, as difficult and challenging as that may be. JACK VANDERRYN Senior Fellow, Environment and Development, The Moriah Fund, Washington, D.C. |
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