“The rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, the strongest guardians of our world's biodiversity, must be recognized,” said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
By: Redacción Intertextual/ contacto@intertextualcr.com
This May 22, the World Day for Biological Diversity is commemorated, a date that invites to raise awareness among the population and governments of the importance of preserving and protecting biological resources.
The United Nations Organization (UN) highlights that biological biodiversity is usually understood in terms of the great variety of plants, animals and microorganisms, but also includes the different genetics within each species such as crop varieties and breed of livestock and variety of ecosystems (lakes, forests, deserts, landscapes, agricultural) that host multiple types of interactions between their members (humans, plants, animals).
The UN approved the «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development» taking into account 17 objectives for the conservation of the planet. “The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint for a sustainable future for all. They are interrelated with each other and incorporate the global challenges we face every day, such as poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice.” The idea is to leave no one behind, reiterates the UN.
The loss of biodiversity threatens the planet and this is seen from the health effects. It has been shown «that the loss of biodiversity could expand zoonoses» these are diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. However, if biodiversity is protected and kept intact, «it has excellent tools to fight pandemics such as those caused by the coronavirus.»
Antonio Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations, in the framework of the commemoration of the International Day for Biological Diversity, reflected on the importance of living in a healthy world. “Whether it is the air we breathe or the food we eat, the energy that drives us or the medicines that heal us, our lives are completely dependent on the good health of ecosystems.”
And I emphasize that bad actions are devastating biodiversity at an accelerated rate. “One million species are at risk of extinction as a result of habitat degradation, rampant pollution and the worsening climate crisis.”
Therefore, it is necessary to act immediately and put an end to this war against nature, guaranteeing sustainable patterns of production and consumption, he said.
Nicaragua and its endangered biological diversity
On the other hand, the Club of Young Environmentalists in coordination with the Nicaraguan scientific and academic community, presented in 2018 the second edition of «Nicaragua Red List», a publication that exposed the country’s biodiversity. They studied Birds, Mammals, Herpetofauna; “amphibians and reptiles”, and Fish, using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) methodology.
The evaluation of approximately 1,266 species by a Nicaraguan biodiversity specialist team left as findings on the Red List «a consensus of 42 critically endangered species.» The Club says in its networks that “The data shows the deterioration of our biodiversity due to loss, degradation and fragmentation of its habitat, among others.
After five years, the Young Environmentalists Club affirms “that biodiversity is the basis of our ecological balance, providing vital services for our survival. From lush forests to blue oceans, each species plays a crucial role in the functioning of our ecosystem.”
Faced with this situation, he calls for their care and preservation, recognizing their importance.
“Every little action counts – from planting a tree to choosing sustainable products, we can all make a difference. By doing so, we not only protect endangered species, but also ensure a healthy and prosperous future for generations to come.”
Indigenous unsung heroes of conservation
The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) in a video said that the annual motto for this event is: «From agreement to action, rebuild biodiversity.» The institution indicates that Nicaragua represents 7% of biological diversity worldwide, and that in the country there are 74 protected areas where they ratify the commitment to work with children and hand in hand with indigenous peoples.
However, the Indigenous in Nicaragua live an odyssey between Ethnocide, land dispossession and environmental damage in indigenous communities, according to the Center for Transdisciplinary Studies of Central America (CETCAM). A study of this center of thought in their calculations shows 3,000 Miskitu and Mayagna community members forced to abandon their lands. They have fled to other parts of Nicaragua and Honduras where they have lived «in conditions of hunger, extreme poverty, and abandonment,» since 2015, all as a result of the repeated invasions of settlers that to date have «more than 60 community members murdered» and other crimes that have gone unpunished such as «kidnappings, injuries, destruction of settlements and crops.»
The CETCAM analysis concludes «that the dictatorial regime of the Ortega-Murillos has maintained its will to sustain the extractivist model, the dispossession and lack of protection of the indigenous and Afro-descendant populations, so that «as long as this regime is maintained, it will be difficult to resolve the fair demands of the indigenous and Afro-descendant communities, in addition to the continued expropriation and destruction of community lands.”
Indigenous peoples in the care and preservation of the environment
Guterres pointed out that value must be given to the hard work of indigenous peoples in the care and preservation of the environment, «we must recognize the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, the strongest guardians of our world’s biodiversity. ”
Likewise, UNESCO declares that a quarter of the planet’s lands «are in the hands, are inhabited or are administered by indigenous populations.» The organization resents that the knowledge of these communities is rarely «taken into account by researchers and policy makers.»
UN Environment Program catalogs indigenous peoples as «unsung heroes of conservation.» They represent about 476 million of the world’s population, that is, the fourth home to 80% of the world’s biodiversity.
However, certain extractive practices, such as large-scale logging, industrial agriculture and mining, are endangering both the rights of Indigenous Peoples and critically endangered forest ecosystems.
Indigenous Communities do not only fight to continue guarding the ecosystems on which their way of life depends. They also demand a fair and equitable distribution of the benefits of genetic resources derived from
