Guide on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples

the territories in which indigenous peoples havespecial claims harbor exceptionally high levels ofbiodiversity and that human cultural diversity isassociated with the remaining concentrations ofbiodiversity.• With the current issues on climate change andbiodiversity, both cultural diversity and biologicaldiversity are endangered (Toledo 2000).• Adverse external impacts of climatechange on indigenous and localcommunities’ way of life, socialstructures, culture and habitatincluding effects to biologicaldiversity will also affect theirknowledge, innovations, andpractices (McCarthy 2001, Henriksen2007).• Indigenous peoples use biodiversityas a primary tool for adaptation.As climate change threatensbiodiversity, it simultaneouslyremoves the major defense that theyhave against variation and change. 25Biodiversityhas adaptedto previousclimate changesduring theearth’s history,what makesthe situationdifferent now?• Ecosystems will have a harder time toadapt to the present climate change fortwo main reasons:The climate is changing too fast.The large-scale conversion of habitatshave greatly reduced the optionsavailable for natural adaptation: if aforest is surrounded by bare pastureor urban sprawl, for example, manyanimals and plants are unable to shifttheir range to more suitable locationsshould their current territories becomeunsuitable due to climate change. 3102 <strong>Guide</strong> on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples