The importance of indigenous rights and knowledge in conservation

Indigenous leaders and other participants at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 discuss the value of indigenous rights, knowledge and leadership in creating more sustainable ways of life on Earth.

[Applause]

It's the danger of forgetting that is

the road to extinction.

Our salmon are endangered species now.

The Winnemem Wintu would also be
on the endangered species list.

As the salmon reduce in number,

so do the Winnemem Wintu.

I came to Congress
to plead the case of the Kalash Tribe,

which is endangered due to climate change.

The community is 6,000 years old

and only about 4,000 people.

The whole community
is at risk of being wiped out.

Respect for
the traditional ecological knowledge,

unlocking opportunities to learn

from people who continue to live

close to these landscapes

is an opportunity for all of us
to boost

our knowledge
of what's happening with this planet.

Knowledge is not just academic.

The knowledge that comes through

being in one place,
all this time, is different

than when somebody comes in and studies it

for five years or even 20 years.

I am representing hundreds of years of

indigenous traditional knowledge.

For us it's very important to see

how the younger generation
can protect more the environment.

But how all this knowledge

can be protected, to protect us

and to protect our future.

(Spanish)
We, the indigenous peoples of the world,

know how to live in harmony
with our Mother Earth.

Because we respect it. Because
we understand that it is necessary

to maintain equilibrium.

Equilibrium and harmony.

Let us remember that what was once

an oppressed voice is now
the intellectual speech of the landscape.

I believe for tomorrow,

for our grandchildren

and your great-great grandchildren

it will be a vibrant one,

because we are committed
to making it so.

(Spanish)
It's important to create change NOW,

because we don't have much time.

We are fighting

to make that change.

And the world, the IUNC and its members,

need to realize

that a change is urgent.