<
https://grist.org/indigenous/a-first-step-toward-land-back-tribes-call-for-three-new-monuments/>
"This week, representatives of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe and the Pit
River Nation used the 16th United Nations Conference on Biological Diversity,
or CBD, in Cali, Colombia, to champion the creation of the Kw’tsán National
Monument, the Chuckwalla National Monument, and the Sáttítla National Monument.
The proposed move would protect around 1 million acres in California from
extractive industries like mining, oil, and gas. With the U.S. presidential
election less than two weeks away, California tribes are pushing the Biden
administration to designate these three national monuments before a new,
possibly unfriendly or uninterested administration, takes office.
Lena Ortega of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe in the southern tip of
California said that in the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument, animals like
bighorn sheep and desert tortoises live amongst the Ocotillo, a cane-like
semi-succulent, as well as sandfood, a fleshy parasitic plant that grows
nowhere else.
“The motto for this year is ‘Peace With Nature,’” she said of the CBD meeting.
“Well, we’ve always had peace with nature. We are one with the land and one
cannot be separated from the other and still be healthy.”
Tribes are better at protecting biodiversity because of the long relationships
they have on the land. This year, from the online research journal One Earth,
researchers found when Indigenous people and local communities were
meaningfully brought in, and are not treated simply as stakeholders, ecological
goals had more favorable outcomes. Brazil has given around 800 square miles
back to Indigenous peoples in the Amazon and the government also banned
non-Indigenous people from engaging in economic activity within these lands.
Brazil still weakened environmental protections that contribute to the
continued deforestation of the land, but that’s happening alongside Indigenous
sustainable hunting and gathering practices that have been shown to be
effective for conservation goals as well.
“Landback is the ultimate goal,” Ortega said, “but this is a first step.”
If approved, the three national monuments would contribute to the state of
California’s 30×30 biodiversity goals — part of an international effort to
protect 30 percent of land and coastal waters by 2030. Part of that strategy is
asking governments to create national monuments. And while 30×30 goals indicate
wanting to hold the world accountable, Indigenous peoples from across the world
point out that they have been, in many cases, violently removed from their
lands, had resources seized, and excluded from decision making. The Biden
administration has indicated its interest in addressing this history — hiring
the first Indigenous cabinet secretary, Deb Haaland, and encouraging federal
departments to respect tribal sovereignty are some examples. These new national
monuments would help the U.S. reach its 30×30 goal by listening to tribes."
Via
Fix the News:
https://fixthenews.com/280-murderbot/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
