OXFAM: The COP15 target 30x30 a threat to the rights of Indigenous Peoples

Ashfaq Khalfan, Oxfam America’s Director for Climate Justice, said:

“Making Indigenous Peoples and local communities central to conservation efforts is the most effective and efficient way to preserve biodiversity as many of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are located on their lands. Securing land and territorial rights for Indigenous Peoples is vital to protecting their sustainable links with their territories, ensuring the survival of biodiversity, and safeguarding their traditional knowledge. 

Without a commitment to safeguard human rights, the 30x30 target will result in conservation efforts that would lead to Indigenous Peoples and local communities being evicted from their ancestral lands and being denied access to critical resources needed to sustain their rights to food, health, and land.  When creating protected areas, the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples should be respected, they should be allowed to manage such areas and be provided with the financial resources required to support them.

Protecting biodiversity is essential if the world is to prevent the dangerous impacts of climate change and to protect the food systems which we all depend on, but it should not come at the expense of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Indigenous Peoples have been consistent defenders of nature long before the international community began treating biodiversity as a common concern. It is critical that negotiators follow the lead of Indigenous Peoples representatives participating in the conference and reflect their recommendations in the targets.”