Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Community Contribution to Conservation in Asia

Ashish KothariKalpavriksh & ICCA Consortium

% area under indigenous /community governance or management: some selected countries

Afghan

istan

Bangla

desh

BhutanChina

Indonesia

Japan

Kazakh

stan

Kyrgyzs

tan

Mongolia

North Korea

Saudi A

rabia

South Korea

Sri La

nka

Taiwan

Turkm

enista

n

Uzbekista

n

Viet Nam

Yemen

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Not protected but retain valuesUsed/occupiedJointly managedState protected areas with no local involvement

Area under indigenous / community governance or management: Selected countries of Asia

State protected areas with no local involvement

Jointly managed Used/occupied Not protected but retain values0

1000000

2000000

3000000

4000000

5000000

6000000

Iran’s mobile indigenous peoples: rangelands cover 1/3rd of country

Key Biodiversity Areas

Forest Cover

Parks & Protected Areas

Ancestral Domains

The Ancestral Domains of Indigenous Communities in the Philippines cover nearly 1/4th of the total land area of the country

Indigenous peoples’ and local community conserved

territories and areas (ICCAs) Natural and modified ecosystems with significant biodiversity, ecological functions and cultural values…voluntarily conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities through customary laws or other effective means

What is the extent of ICCAs in Asia?Hundreds of thousands of ICCAs, most undocumentedNo overall figure of extent; some indications:

Place / kind of ICCA ExtentGlobal: indigenous/community managed forests

At least 370 m.ha.

Fiji: Locally Managed Marine Areas 1.77 m.ha.

Philippines: Ancestral domains 4.25 m.ha. (claims >6 m.ha.)

Iran: Mobile territories Several m.ha.

India: Community conserved areas Several ‘000 thousand ha

Nepal: Community forests 1.3 m.ha.

Pakistan: Hunting/other community reserves

1.95 m. ha.

Increasing documentation of ICCAs

Threats and challenges

 

• Lack recognition in law and policy• Threats by extractive industry, monocultures,

militarisation, commodification, climate change• Top-down, exclusionary conservation policies • Cultural and demographic change • Social, economic, political inequities

Key Resources for recognition

Need for:

Legal recognition of territorial / tenurial rights

Recognition of collective customary governance

Respect for local knowledge, practices

Facilitation of documentation, assessments

Help in resisting threats

Social, economic, livelihood support

Good News: Progress in Legal Recognition• Multiple references to ICCAs in CBD

Decisions and IUCN Resolutions• RRI (2012): Community owned/managed

forests, up from 10 to 15% in last decade

• Philippines: Ancestral Domain titles to many Indigenous territories, recognition of ICCAs in reserve system

• Iran: Increase of conservation coverage through recognising pastoralist ICCAs

• India: Community Forest Rights

• Fiji: recognition of Locally Managed Marine Areas (100% of marine PA system)