Indigenous rights and territories are key to the existence and continuity of forests, and for the ancestral legacy. Access to the Indigenous Fund will empower communities, their economies, territories and main livelihoods.
Paris, December 3, 2015. – Elke Falley-Rothkopf, from the Institute for Ecology and Action Anthropology (INFOE), welcomed key stakeholders to the event “Options and challenges for German cooperation in support of indigenous contributions to forest and climate conservation”, held during COP21 in Paris, France. Falley- Rothkopf said that for many years the German Cooperation has focused on indigenous rights, forests, and climate actions, and from which is very proud of.
Henderson Rengifo, President of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon – AIDESEP, pointed out that people and the rainforest act as a whole. He said titling, community management and indigenous territorial governance are the means to tackle climate change. The proposal made by AIDESEP includes the consolidation of a 9 million territorial corridor in Peru and Brazil for Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact – PIACI. “We aim to bolster the Amazon Indigenous REDD (AIR) proposal, through our conservation efforts in over 5.7 million hectares of forests and indigenous territories in communal reserves of Junín, Pasco, Loreto and Madre de Dios,” added.
During this event, the AIR Amarakaeri video was presented, which showcases the importance of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (RCA) and adjoining communities to maintain the forest ecosystem services. AIR Amarakaeri proposal is framed in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – UNFCCC, and the duly implementation will reduce GHGs emissions while avoiding deforestation in over 400 thousand hectares in the RCA. It will also prompt a better community forest management, benefits beyond the carbon, water regulation, etc.
Meanwhile Jorge Furagaro, from the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations in the Amazon – COICA, said “The Climate Fund is quite important and shall be channeled directly to indigenous communities. I make a call to all States for the articulation of indigenous people’s initiatives into national REDD strategies.”
“National and local efforts shall be interconnected and continuous. During climate negotiations, national governments shall request resources to the Climate Fund, and then, distribute them properly,” pointed out Ruth de Irlen, from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety – BMUB.
On the other hand, Dirk Embert from WWF-Germany brought again to the table the importance of considering AIR in national strategies, while Roberto Espinoza from AIDESEP underscored the relevance of a national climate fund for indigenous peoples. “The main idea is to rely on a Forest & Climate National Fund, where REDD+ is included. Indigenous peoples have the right to access to these funds,” added.
Finally, Thomas Brose from Alianza de Clima (http://www.klimabuendnis.org/) stated that conservation efforts for tropical forests do not allow industrial nations to put aside transformation of their societies to reach the sustainable climate protection in the world. For example, a direct cooperation between German municipalities (Rostock), AIR pilot projects, and indigenous communities, are a promising approach for the exchange of experiences and mutual learning, as well as the funding of indigenous projects for forests and climate conservation.
