Guide on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

3What bodytakes care ofbiodiversityconcerns in theworld? Whatconnection hasbeen establishedregardingclimate change,biodiversity,and indigenouspeoples?• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)is a binding agreement on the conservationand sustainable use of biological diversity.It was born from the Earth Summit in Riode Janeiro in 1992. The CBD recognizes thefollowing principles in relation to climatechange and biodiversity: Climate change is the second cause ofbiodiversity loss.Biodiversity management cancontribute to climate change mitigationand adaptation and to combatingdesertification.• It acknowledges the knowledge, innovations,and practices of indigenous and localcommunities, and promotes its widerapplication in the context of conservation andsustainable use of biological diversity.• It has established specific obligations for stateparties to respect, preserveand maintain such knowledge,innovations and practices,as far as this is possible, andas appropriate within theframework of their respectivenational legislation andsubject to the approval of theknowledge holders (Henriksen2007 from CBD Article 8(j)).• Biodiversity is central to indigenousenvironmental management andlivelihoods.• Apart from the loss of ecosystemservices, climate change and its effectsto biodiversity have profound impactson the cultural and religious practices ofindigenous peoples around the world.• Scientific evidence has supported that4Why shouldindigenouspeoples beconcerned withbiodiversity &climate change?PART VI: Climate Change, Biodiversity and Indigenous Peoples 101