A new study by the ICCA Consortium, an international conservation association, says human rights must be included in conservation policies to save the world’s vanishing biodiversity. The study focuses on 17 Indigenous and local communities worldwide, showing how their traditional practices and unique governance systems protect forests better than states or other bodies. Researchers insist that human rights be central to the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Forum in October, also known as COP15, where world leaders will sign a new 10-year commitment to protect biodiversity in the midst of what scientists call the Earth’s sixth mass extinction. The new agreement will replace the previous 10-year Aichi agreements, which have been considered a failure as none of the 20 targets were met. The planet’s wildlife is disappearing at unprecedented rates and ecosystems are deteriorating rapidly, according to a growing number of studies . This is why the world’s largest biodiversity conference, COP15, taking place later this year, could be an important moment for the planet. But one of the only ways to achieve the world’s biodiversity goals and save nature is to include human rights at the heart of all conservation policies, and recognize the cultural and territorial rights of Indigenous […]
Reading Time: < 1 minute
