Two years since global policymakers agreed on the concept of protecting 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030, there’s still little clarity on how achieving this goal will impact Indigenous communities who safeguard some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. In October this year, government representatives are set to meet at the U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia to talk about their plans to implement the so-called 30 by 30 target and other goals under the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. But although the framework calls on states to recognize and respect Indigenous rights and territories, experts and advocacy groups such as Minority Rights Group (MRG), Survival International and Amnesty International say the lack of clarity on the logistics of the 30 by 30 goal makes it prone to conflict. And if implemented poorly, it could result in millions of people being evicted from their ancestral territories. “Around the globe, protected areas have led to widespread evictions, hunger, ill health and human rights violations,” Stefania Carrer, a litigation and advocacy officer at MRG, told Mongabay. “MRG is concerned that the push to achieve the 30 by 30 target will result in an increase of fortress conservation projects worldwide, inevitably leading to more of these grievous rights violations.” For now, efforts to protect lands by evicting communities persist despite wording in the biodiversity agreement to “recognize Indigenous and traditional territories,” “respect the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities,” and explore inclusive other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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