The FSC Indigenous Foundation is at COP16
Let's learn how to live in peace with nature from the world's best biodiversity stewards.
For Indigenous Peoples, Mother Earth is not only the place where we live, it is the sacred space in which we manifest spiritual connections with all living things. Rooted in ancestral cosmovision, we view the natural environment as an integral being that sustains life and the harmony of ecosystems. This is biodiversity. This is living in peace with nature.
Joining global biodiversity discussions
From October 21 to November 1, 2024, the vibrant city of Cali, Colombia, will host the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Under the slogan “Peace with Nature,” this historic event calls for a renewed commitment to the preservation of our planet’s biodiversity and the sustainable use of its resources.
The FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) will participate in COP16 to amplify the global voices of Indigenous Peoples and advocate for their crucial role in biodiversity conservation.
At COP16, we aim to:
- Collaborate: Engage with diverse stakeholders to build a comprehensive biodiversity agenda that values, recognizes and incorporates Indigenous knowledge
- Network: Identify funding opportunities and strengthen partnerships with Indigenous Peoples Organizations (IPOs), governments, and other key stakeholders
- Influence: Highlight the vital importance of Indigenous knowledge in biodiversity stewardship, particularly under Article 8J of the CBD.
Why Indigenous knowledge matters
Indigenous Peoples are among the world’s most effective stewards of biodiversity, especially where their rights and recognized and supported. As biodiversity declines, so too does cultural and linguistic diversity. Protecting both is critical for our planet’s future. Promoting Indigenous rights and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and their valuable knowledge in biodiversity management and decision-making is essential for a successful global biodiversity framework.
Let’s learn how to live in peace with nature from the world’s best biodiversity stewards.
Biodiversity work in action
Explore FSC-IF impactful projects that illustrate our commitment to preserving biodiversity through Indigenous knowledge and solutions:
- Boosting Indigenous Nature-Based Business Models: Collaborating with the IDB Lab and Health in Harmony in an innovative project to connect Indigenous Peoples with economic opportunities that align with their cultural values and biodiversity conservation efforts by collaboratively designing a market seal.
- Indigenous Peoples and water: Integrating Indigenous knowledge and practices into sustainable models of transboundary watershed management.
- Ogiek Women’s Socio-Economic Empowerment: Supporting the Ogiek women in the Mau Forest of Kenya to grow businesses, rehabilitate the forest, revitalize their language, and preserve knowledge of their traditional medicine.
- Ecosystem Services Framework: Working with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to provide tools that measure and verify the benefits of sustainable forest management for Indigenous communities.
FSC-IF numbers of impact
See more numbers of impact for Indigenous Peoples, biodiversity, and forests, and read the stories behind the numbers here.
Our delegation at COP16
Indigenous leaders and our partners
Aulina Ismare Opua, Cacica Wounaan General Congress.
Wounaan People, Panama.
Daniel Kobei, Executive Director, Ogiek Peoples Development Program (OPDP)
Ogiek People, Kenya.
Juan Carlos Jintiach, Executive Secretary, Global Alliance for Territorial Communities (GATC)
Shuar People, Ecuador.
Mala Mareachealee, Deputy Director, Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC)
Nadia Gómez, FSC-IF Indigenous Advisor, and FSC Permanent Indigenous Peoples Committee (PIPC) representative from South America
Warpe People, Argentina.
Norlando Meza, TV Indígena
Guna People, Panama.
Sara Madriz Martinez, Mesoamerican Alliance for Peoples and Forests (AMPB)
Cabécar People, Costa Rica.
Yoselin Yissel Casama Martínez, Association of Women Artisans of Ipeti Embera (AMARIE),
Emberá People, Panama
Get involved, make a difference
We are leading global efforts towards long-term and resilient Indigenous-led solutions. With Indigenous Peoples, we can conserve and restore biodiversity for everyone’s survival.
The FSC-IF seeks partnerships with governments, multilateral institutions, and the private sector to achieve visionary goals by leveraging the power of your resources, your expertise, and your innovative tools. Let’s work together to elevate Indigenous solutions for biodiversity stewardship and shape policies that respect and incorporate traditional knowledge.
Follow our journey: Check out our website and social media for updates, video interviews with our delegation, and our objectives at COP 16.
Connect with us: If you would like to meet us during COP16 to discuss how we can build sustainable solutions together, write to us at fsc.if@fsc.org
Together, we can ensure that the wisdom of Indigenous Peoples is recognized and integrated into the global biodiversity agenda.
