NT-2024-AR - Flipbook - Page 9
INTRODUCTION
Indigenous Peoples'
Guardianship
Hutukara Yanomami Association celebration
Yanomami, Amazonia | Bruno Kelly
Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship of territory has existed since
time immemorial, and Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge systems
can inform critical decisions being made today.
Heiltsuk fishing boats | Heiltsuk Nation, North America
Alex Robinson (Nansemond)
According to the U.N. sources, there are:
Science points to Indigenous Peoples’ guardianship as the only time-tested
way for peoples and places to thrive. We define “guardianship” as the ability of
Indigenous Peoples to act upon an inherent right and acceptance of responsibility
to govern and manage territory using their own laws and values.
Nia Tero honors the diverse ways in which people understand this term; for us, it is linked
to cultures, languages, and practices that have developed in tandem with thriving lands,
waters, and places, and has a vital intergenerational dynamic. Mounting studies show that
healthy ecosystems around the world are thriving because of Indigenous Peoples and their
guardianship. Indigenous Peoples provide the most robust defense for all of humanity
against climate change, deforestation, mining, biodiversity loss, and other ecological threats.
For example, in Amazonia, Indigenous Peoples protect forest carbon more effectively than
any other landholders in the region, and Indigenous lands in Brazil are proven to be more
effective than protected areas in reducing deforestation.
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Kurupohpano village | Tumucumaque, Amazonia | Kamikia Kisedje (Kisedje)
Nia Tero
OVER
LIVING IN
476M
90
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
GLOBALLY
COUNTRIES ACROSS
THE WORLD
COMPRISED OF
MORE THAN
CARING
FOR
5,000
1/4
DISTINCT GROUPS
OF LAND ON EARTH
Annual Report 2024
17
