Extractive and industrial projects threaten the future of indigenous peoples

2023-06-09 11:40:07

Los extractive and industrial development projects threaten the fundamental rights of indigenous peoples, according to the results of a scientific study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) that quantifies the negative impacts that these activities have on the ways of life, rights and lands of these communities.

The research, carried out in collaboration with nine other universities around the world, shows violations of indigenous rights thanks to the largest quantitative analysis carried out to date worldwide.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, is based on data collected over the last decade by the Environmental Justice Atlas (EJAtlas), an initiative coordinated by ICTA-UAB that has identified and mapped a total of 3,081 socio-environmental conflicts Worldwide.

Despite the fact that indigenous peoples represent only the 6.2% of the world population and their lands occupy a quarter of the planet’s land surface, are affected by 34% of all documented environmental conflicts over extraction projects and industrial development.

Indigenous peoples are affected by 34% of all environmental conflicts over extraction projects and industrial development

The study documents more than 740 different indigenous communities that are affected by this type of activity, which represents 15% of the almost 5,000 groups that exist in the world.

The Quechua, Mapuche, Gond, Aymara, Nahua, Ijaw, Munda, Kichwa, Guarani and Karen communities are the ten indigenous groups that appear most frequently in the EJAtlas dataset.

However, they consider that the real number of indigenous groups affected could be much higher since “there are still important gaps in the data, especially in Central Asia, Russia and the Pacific, where data coverage is more limited,” he explains. Arnim ScheidelICTA-UAB researcher and co-author of the study, which highlights the great effort made by indigenous and non-indigenous researchers and by hundreds of collaborators who have collected relevant information for the EJAtlas since its creation.

Mining is the sector that most frequently impacts the indigenous population

Eight out of ten environmental conflicts refer to only four sectors, and it is the mining the sector that most frequently impacts the indigenous population (24.7%), ahead of the fossil fuels sector (20.8%), the agriculture, forestry, fishing and livestock sector (17.5%). %) and the construction and operation of hydraulic dams (15.2%).

According to the data collected, the loss of landscapes (56% of the cases), the loss of livelihoods (52%) and the dispossession of their lands (50%) are the conflict situations that take place more frequently as a consequence of development projects.

It is worth highlighting the fact that conflicts around projects related to agriculture, forestry, fishing and livestock have particularly high impact rates. Compared with other sectors and with the world average, the deforestation (74% of cases), dispossession of land (74%), loss of livelihoods (69%) and loss of biodiversity (69%) are much more frequent in this particular sector.

Violations on the rights of indigenous peoples

“Land grabbing caused by agribusiness and other extractive sectors continues to be a great threat to indigenous peoples,” he says. Alvaro Fernandez-Llamazares, ICTA-UAB scientist and co-author of the study. “That is why indigenous communities all over the planet have been mobilizing for decades to have their rights recognized and respected,” he adds.

For the research team, the conclusions show the enormous magnitude of the violations of indigenous rights associated with the industrial lifestyles and recall that international instruments such as Convention C169 of the International Labor Organization on indigenous peoples, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples play an important role in promoting their rights. “However, the current levels of ratification, application and supervision are insufficient to guarantee respect for these rights”, they remark.

For this reason, they emphasize the need for governments to apply measures that promote indigenous rights and support the environmental justice guaranteeing real compliance with existing agreements and the protection of rights to their lands. “Governments must apply a policy of zero tolerance regarding violations of indigenous rights and seek commercial agreements that are conditional on compliance with the responsibilities of the United Nations Declaration by the companies involved.”

Reference:

Scheidel, A., Fernández-Llamazares, et al (2023). “Global impacts of extractive and industrial development projects on Indigenous Peoples’ lifeways, lands, and rights”. Science Advances2023.

Rights: Creative Commons.