STATE OF THE WORLD's INDIGENOUs PEOpLEs - CINU

EMBARGOED UNTIL 14 January 2010STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLESNot for distributionHowever, prioritising the expansion of protected area networks without issues of equity and participation atthe forefront may lead to an unjust implementation of the Programme of Work by excluding social, cultural andjustice aspects while focusing on quantitative targets. A WWF report from 2004 identified indigenous peoples’participation in management decision-making as a weakness in protected area management and concluded,“one depressingly consistent problem is a failure to manage relations with people. Problems are evident interms of effectively channelling the input of indigenous peoples and securing their voice and participation inmanagement decisions”. 93Only by adhering to the goals of the Programme of Work on Protected Areas, in particular Goal 2 on Equity andBenefit Sharing, can the Parties ensure that a number of outcomes are realized in the process of achieving the2010 biodiversity targets and representative biomes in protected areas. This can be done by adjusting policies to avoid and mitigate negative impacts and, where appropriate, compensate costs &equitably share benefits in accordance with the national legislation; recognising and promoting a broad set of protected area governance types, which may include areasconserved by indigenous and local communities; and, using social and economic benefits generated by protected areas for poverty reduction, consistent withprotected-area management objectives;94enhancing and securing the involvement of indigenous and local communities and relevant stakeholders.The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples also provides guidance with regard to protected areas.As mentioned above, one of the problems with protected areas is that indigenous peoples are forcibly removedfrom lands or excluded from accessing lands and the resources contained therein. Article 10 of the Declarationstates thatIndigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocationshall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoplesconcerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with theoption of return.At the CBD Working Group on Protected Areas, convened in preparation for COP 9 (2008), indigenous peoplesstated their disappointment at the lack of progress in the implementation of Element 2 of the Programme of Workon governance, equity, participation and benefit-sharing:Despite all the hard work to contribute to the development of the Programme of Work and ourefforts at the national level to implement its activities directly relevant to the indigenous peoplesand local communities, we have met many obstacles and in many cases Parties have preferredto continue with the establishment of protected areas without taking into account our rights andwithout ensuring our full and effective participation. 95They therefore recommended that the Programme of Work proceed in accordance with the following:93WWF (2004), 4.94Workgin Group on Article 8(j) Programme of Work, Goal 2.1 and Goal 2.2. at http:/www.cbd.int/protected/pow.shtml?prog=p295Indigenous Statement (2008).THE ENVIRONMENT | 111