ENS: Indigenous Peoples Own/Manage ¼ of Earth’s Land

Indigenous people own or have management rights over at least 25 percent of Earth’s land, which in turn overlaps with 40 percent of all protected lands, according to Stephen Garnett of Charles Darwin University who leads an international mapping research team. The team emphasizes that understanding land ownership is essential for developing and monitoring international conservation and climate agreements. “The 14.6 million square miles (38 million square kilometers) of Indigenous lands are spread across 87 countries or politically distinct areas,” reports Environment News Service. The world has about 370 million indigenous people, representing about one of every 20 of the Earth’s people. Throughout history, non-indigenous people have removed resources from indigenous-owned lands without permission or compensation. The indigenous lands are typically free from development, at more than double the rate of other lands. The authors call for collaborative partnerships between indigenous peoples and governments to protect ecosystems and genetic diversity. – YaleGlobal