Supporting Indigenous Philanthrophy

The 9th conference of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (IFIP) took place in Tofino, Canada, from May 15-17. IFIP is comprised of member organizations, primarily donors such as The Christensen Fund, Ford Foundation, and Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation. Among its members, IFIP promotes increasing the amount and efficacy of funding for indigenous peoples, particularly in the face of widespread loss of interlinked biological and cultural diversity. With the 9th conference focusing on transformative education, environment, and human rights advocacy, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) presented on bio-cultural community protocols as one rights-based approach to implementing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Hishuk-ish tsawalk

Nuu-chah-nulth for "everything is one, everything is connected", the concept of Hishuk-ish tsawalk was the theme of the 12th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) from May 9-14 in Tofino, Canada. Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended the Congress and presented on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) during a session on policy literacy with colleagues from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, the Global Diversity Foundation, and IUCN, among others. Harry and Holly participated in many sessions throughout the week, including on protected traditional knowledge, participatory video and traditional resource rights, community conservation in practice, the ISE Code of Ethics, and innovative practices of communicating research. They also discussed potential collaborations with organizations such as COMPAS, the Gaia Foundation, IUCN, and the African Biodiversity Network.

Advocating for the Samburus' Rights in Nairobi

In partnership with the ABS Initiative for Africa, UNEP and the LIFE Network, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) presented in a side event at SBSTTA on Bio-cultural Community Protocols: A Community Approach to Ensuring the Integrity of Environmental Law and Policy. The side event discussed bio-cultural community protocols as one approach that indigenous peoples and local communities can use to clarify terms and conditions for engaging with other stakeholders regarding their natural resources and traditional knowledge. The event included presentations on community protocols, the launch of the Samburu Protocol, and the Natural Justice-UNEP DVD collection of materials relevant to community protocols and rights-based approaches. Participants at this and the two previous side events at SBSTTA found community protocols to be a very useful tool that can be used in the context of community conserved and co-managed areas to secure community rights.

A Collaborative Effort at SBSTTA

Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) presented on bio-cultural community protocols at a SBTTA side event entitled, "Strengthening what works: recognizing and supporting hte conservation achievements of indigenous peoples and local communities". The side event was organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) in collaboration with CENESTA, Kalpavriksh, WAMIP, GTZ, GEF SGP, the ICCA Consortium, and Natural Justice. It focused on case examples to distill lessons and tools to provide practical support to the implementation of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), particularly Element 2 on governance, participation, equity, and benefit sharing.

Connecting the Legal Dots at SBSTTA

At a SBSTTA side event on Governance of Protected Areas: Crucial Concepts and Tools for the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) presented on the importance of making linkages between various legal provisions for community rights, particularly the PoWPA and the Working Group on Article 8(j). He highlighted the draft Ethical Code of Conduct on Respect for the Cultural and Intellectual Heritage of Indigenous and Local Communities Relevant for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity that was adopted by the Working Group in 8(j) as a guiding document for realizing community rights under PoWPA. He also noted that the Working Group on 8(j) is increasingly aiming to implement Article 10(c) and PoWPA's Target 2.2 on community governance, particularly by building on the Addis Ababa Principles and Guidelines. Kabir stressed that the draft resolution to be adopted at the Conference of Parties in Nagoya will require the Working Group on 8(j) to integrate Article 10(c) as a cross-cutting issue into the CBD's various programmes of work and thematic areas, beginning with PoWPA. He concluded by calling for engagement with the serious gains made on community rights under the Working Group on 8(j) in order to encourage states to uphold their similar commitments under PoWPA.

Setting the Stage at SBSTTA

At the 14th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) that is currently happening in Nairobi, one of the main tasks is to table a revise Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA) to the upcoming Conference of Parties in Nagoya. The revised PoWPA is intended to be based on the recent in-depth review and recommendations, which acknowledge the particular lack of implementation of Element 2 on governance, participation, equity, and benefit-sharing. Another emerging critique of the PoWPA is that it fails to integrate existing legal provisions for communities' rights, such as under Articles 8(j) and 10(c) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

SBSTTA opens with a customary bang

On May 10, the 14th meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) opened in Nairobi, Kenya. It will run until May 21 and will aim to address outstanding issues relating to the CBD's post-2010 Strategic Plan and the Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), among others, in the run-up to the CBD Conference of Parties in Nagoya. On the opening day of SBSTTA, the Liberian delegation noted that the implementation of PoWPA must be done in accordance with traditional governance systems and customary use of biodiversity. Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) is in Nairobi for the first week of SBSTTA to present at side events and coordinate with other members of the ICCA Consortium.

The Practise of (Natural) Law

At the Global Diversity Foundation-hosted workshop on Community Conservation in Practise from May 6-9 in Tofino, Canada, Joe Martin (right) of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation provided an alternative view of law. He described his First Nation's worldview of the natural laws that underpin our existence and connections with other natural processes and showed how art forms such as totems are the embodiment of these natural laws and First Nation constitutions. Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended the workshop alongside representatives of indigenous and local communities and NGOs from Kyrgyzstan, the Altai Republic, Vanuatu, Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Mexico, Australia, Malaysia, Morocco, Guatemala, USA, UK, the Netherlands, and Canada. The workshop also delved into challenges of and opportunities for indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCAs), sacred natural sites, and bio-cultural landscapes in policy and practise. Harry and Holly presented on bio-cultural community protocols as a tool to help communities engage with legal and policy frameworks that affect communities' ways of life. Participants explored how protocols could help communities ensure the protection of sacred natural sites and a nascent partnership with COMPAS was discussed. Harry and Holly are also involved in the development of the Opitsaht narrative declaration, which will communicate what happened at the workshop. They will continue to meet with fellow participants throughout the International Society of Ethnobiology Congress in Tofino from May 9-14.

Natural Changes

In recognition of its transition from "establishment" to "strategic development", the Natural Justice team met on May Day in Cape Town nearly three years after its registration as an NPO in South Africa. Executive Member Hennie van Vuuren facilitated a group discussion between Johanna von Braun, Gino Cocchiaro, Holly Shrumm, Laureen Manuel, Kabir Bavikatte, and Harry Jonas towards better defining Natural Justice's organizational vision, mission, activities, and internal structure. We thank Hennie for his dedication and patience as we finalize the vision and mission!

Missing the Target

A study recently published in the journal Science concludes that the biodiversity targets set in 2002 by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will not be met, partly because of "woefully inadequate" implementation of national and international policies. Analysis of over 30 indicators shows that not only is biodiversity loss not decreasing, but threats (including climate change and habitat loss) are actually increasing. With nearly all species and ecosystems in decline, the study's authors from UNEP and IUCN are advocating for global action to "act now to save all life on Earth before we reach breaking point." A BBC report on the study can be found here.