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Federal agencies urged to integrate Indigenous tribes in Everglades restoration

News Feed
Thursday, November 21, 2024

Efforts to restore the Everglades can be enhanced by incorporating Indigenous tribes’ ecological knowledge, a new report says.Amy Green reports for Inside Climate News.In short:The National Academies recommend deeper collaboration with Florida's Miccosukee and Seminole tribes in the $21 billion Everglades restoration project, emphasizing their role as environmental stewards.The report calls for consideration and application of Indigenous knowledge "even when it does not conform to western scientific norms."Indigenous knowledge offers insights into historical ecosystem conditions, providing a critical perspective for restoration planning.The report also calls for integrating climate change projections and improving water quality regulations alongside restoration funding.Key quote:“I think it can help us from veering into over-engineered solutions that we’ve found ourselves in in the Everglades over the decades. It’s about living in harmony with the Everglades, not trying to over-engineer the Everglades.”— Eve Samples, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Friends of the Everglades.Why this matters:The Everglades provide freshwater to 12 million Floridians and sustain unique ecosystems. Incorporating tribal knowledge and addressing climate change impacts can improve restoration outcomes and foster sustainable water management practices.Related:LISTEN: Simple experiences in the EvergladesTribal plan aims to phase out Everglades oil drillingFreshwater diverted from Florida's coast could help Everglades

Efforts to restore the Everglades can be enhanced by incorporating Indigenous tribes’ ecological knowledge, a new report says.Amy Green reports for Inside Climate News.In short:The National Academies recommend deeper collaboration with Florida's Miccosukee and Seminole tribes in the $21 billion Everglades restoration project, emphasizing their role as environmental stewards.The report calls for consideration and application of Indigenous knowledge "even when it does not conform to western scientific norms."Indigenous knowledge offers insights into historical ecosystem conditions, providing a critical perspective for restoration planning.The report also calls for integrating climate change projections and improving water quality regulations alongside restoration funding.Key quote:“I think it can help us from veering into over-engineered solutions that we’ve found ourselves in in the Everglades over the decades. It’s about living in harmony with the Everglades, not trying to over-engineer the Everglades.”— Eve Samples, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Friends of the Everglades.Why this matters:The Everglades provide freshwater to 12 million Floridians and sustain unique ecosystems. Incorporating tribal knowledge and addressing climate change impacts can improve restoration outcomes and foster sustainable water management practices.Related:LISTEN: Simple experiences in the EvergladesTribal plan aims to phase out Everglades oil drillingFreshwater diverted from Florida's coast could help Everglades



Efforts to restore the Everglades can be enhanced by incorporating Indigenous tribes’ ecological knowledge, a new report says.

Amy Green reports for Inside Climate News.

In short:

  • The National Academies recommend deeper collaboration with Florida's Miccosukee and Seminole tribes in the $21 billion Everglades restoration project, emphasizing their role as environmental stewards.
  • The report calls for consideration and application of Indigenous knowledge "even when it does not conform to western scientific norms."
  • Indigenous knowledge offers insights into historical ecosystem conditions, providing a critical perspective for restoration planning.
  • The report also calls for integrating climate change projections and improving water quality regulations alongside restoration funding.

Key quote:

“I think it can help us from veering into over-engineered solutions that we’ve found ourselves in in the Everglades over the decades. It’s about living in harmony with the Everglades, not trying to over-engineer the Everglades.”

— Eve Samples, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group Friends of the Everglades.

Why this matters:

The Everglades provide freshwater to 12 million Floridians and sustain unique ecosystems. Incorporating tribal knowledge and addressing climate change impacts can improve restoration outcomes and foster sustainable water management practices.

Related:

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

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Ecuador's Indigenous Defenders Face Growing Threats, Activists Say at UN Summit

By Oliver GriffinCALI, Colombia (Reuters) -Indigenous environmental defenders in Ecuador are suffering an increasing number of threats and...

CALI, Colombia (Reuters) - Indigenous environmental defenders in Ecuador are suffering an increasing number of threats and sometimes deadly attacks amid spiraling violence in the country, activists said on Friday at the U.N. COP16 nature talks in Colombia.Nearly 200 countries are gathered in the city of Cali in an attempt to agree on a deal to implement the landmark 2022 Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework agreement that aims to end destruction of nature by 2030.Among the goals of that agreement was heightened protection for environmental defenders. But during the summit, slated to end late on Friday, Indigenous activists from Ecuador said danger for their communities was growing."It's become a tense and terrible problem in Ecuador," Juan Bay, president of the Waorani Indigenous community, told Reuters, adding that threats have increased since a 2023 referendum in Ecuador approved a ban on oil drilling in the Amazon.Ecuador has experienced rising violence in recent years at the hands of organized crime, with President Daniel Noboa declaring a state of internal armed conflict earlier this year and designating almost two dozen gangs as terrorist groups.Negotiations at COP16 include discussions around monitoring killings of people targeted for efforts to protect the environment, but a proposed measure for recording them does not go far enough, said Natalia Gomez, the climate change policy advisor for advocacy group, EarthRights."Unfortunately, that indicator being discussed is optional and binary, which means that governments will only say, 'Yes, we're doing it', or 'No, we're not doing it'," she said.According to the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity website, Ecuador has not reported on its aims to protect environmental defenders."Ecuador has seen an increase" in threats, Astrid Puentes, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment, told Reuters.Ecuador's government must comply with standards for environmental protection and implement protection measures for those who might receive threats, Puentes said.Ecuador's secretariat of indigenous peoples and nationalities did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters.Reported killings are creating a climate of fear for Indigenous communities trying to protect their homes, said Jhajayra Machoa, from CONFENIAE, the main organization of indigenous groups in Ecuador's Amazon."It's very hard to face this situation," she said.(Reporting by Oliver Griffin; Additional reporting by Alexandra Valencia in Quito; Editing by Jake Spring and Sandra Maler)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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Indigenous People March in Brazil's Capital Against Bill Limiting Land Rights

Hundreds of Indigenous people were marching Wednesday in Brazil’s capital, urging Congress to drop a proposed constitutional amendment that has the potential to paralyze and even reverse land allocations

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Bearing images of animals and covered in body paint, hundreds of Indigenous people marched Wednesday in Brazil's capital, urging Congress to drop a proposed constitutional amendment that has the potential to paralyze and even reverse land allocations.The bill aims to add to the Constitution a legal theory, championed by the agribusiness caucus, that the date the Constitution was promulgated — Oct. 5, 1988 — should be the deadline for Indigenous peoples to have already either physically occupied claimed land or be legally fighting to reoccupy territory. Lawmakers from the caucus also claim it provides legal certainty for landholders.Indigenous rights groups have argued that establishing a deadline is unfair, as it does not account for expulsions and forced displacements of Indigenous populations, particularly during Brazil’s agriculture frontier expansion in the 20th century.“We are aware of the interests of mining companies, ranchers and oil companies in our lands. How many lives will be destroyed if this bill passes?” Alessandra Korap, an Indigenous leader of the Munduruku tribe, told The Associated Press.On Sept. 21, 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the deadline concept, which formed part of a lawsuit brought by Santa Catarina state. In the vote that secured the majority, Justice Luiz Fux argued that areas connected to Indigenous ancestry and traditions are protected by the Constitution, even if not officially recognized. It was a moment of widespread celebration among Indigenous communities and their advocates.One week after the ruling, pro-agribusiness lawmakers began pushing for congressional approval of the deadline. One initiative is the proposed constitutional amendment that the Indigenous movement fears will come up for a vote in the coming days.Congress also passed a law in December that established the 1988 deadline. The Indigenous movement and political parties appealed to the Supreme Court, which hasn't yet issued a ruling on the matter. During a speech in Congress, the author of the constitutional amendment, Sen. Hiran Gonçalves, stated that his proposal aims to settle the issue definitively, thereby ending legal uncertainty.Dinamam Tuxá, head of the rights group Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, told the Associated Press that, if approved, the bill will lead to the suspension of Indigenous land demarcations, escalate socio-environmental conflicts and increase deforestation.Maisonnave reported from BrasilandiaThe Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

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Analysis-Australian Mine Fight Reignites Aboriginal Heritage Tensions

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MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Wiradjuri elder Nyree Reynolds calls her home west of Sydney the valley of the Bilabula, the Indigenous name for its river. 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"That's the definition of sovereign risk."While Reynolds objected to Regis' mine, a local Aboriginal group representing Wiradjuri people, authorised by the state to speak for cultural heritage, had concluded that impacts from the project could be managed.Regis said in August it is considering its legal options after writing down the value of its project by more than $100 million.The decision on Regis' project was the second by the government in as many months to back Indigenous groups over miners.ERA, majority owned by mining giant Rio Tinto, is suing the government on procedural fairness grounds after it did not renew the miner's exploration lease on uranium rich land.Government officials and some investors say developers need to engage earlier and more deeply with Indigenous groups when planning projects, but new laws governing heritage protection that would assist the process are yet to arrive.The government has not said when it expects to finalise the legislation. Only Western Australia has made some heritage reforms, leaving the industry relying on a patchwork of old state legislation to manage heritage protection at a time when Australia is marketing itself as a supplier of ethical metals.Resources projects with outstanding Section 10 objections include miner Bellevue Gold's plan to dig under a desert lake and Woodside's Scarborough natural gas project that will feed a gas plant in a region rich in ancient rock art that the government has nominated for a UNESCO World Heritage listing. Both projects are in Western Australia.But not all objections are equal when it comes to politics, especially with the centre-left Labor government facing an election in 2025.Woodside is unlikely to face the same setback as Regis, said MST Marquee senior energy analyst Saul Kavonic, as the $12.5 billion Scarborough gas project is "extremely politically important to the Labor government in Western Australia".Plibersek's office said it could not comment on the Scarborough project as the issue is under consideration.Both Woodside and Bellevue said they take their responsibilities to manage Aboriginal cultural heritage seriously.Bellevue said it has permission from the Tjiwarl native title group to dig under the lake as part of a heritage management plan.The government's action comes after it failed in a referendum last year that sought to give Indigenous Australians special recognition in the country's constitution and an advisory voice to lawmakers.Some people think the government is now acting to appease inner city east coast voters who backed the referendum and who may want to vote for the Greens rather than support mining."Here is a government trying to scramble to make itself look good, because it absolutely gutted the opportunity for us to have a voice in Parliament," said Wonnarua man Scott Franks, who has filed three section 10s against developments in the state's coal rich Hunter Valley region and lost them all.When asked if she was catering to Green voters with her decision on Regis, Plibersek told reporters on Aug. 28 that she had consulted widely: "I made the decision based on facts."Australia's minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said the government was working hard with Aboriginal groups on new heritage protection laws."The Australian Government is deeply concerned about the destruction of First Nations heritage values anywhere in Australia," McCarthy said in a statement to Reuters.A key issue that needs to be addressed is to make clear exactly who developers need to consult to ensure projects do not harm important sites on the traditional lands or countries of Indigenous groups."Our whole objective is to remove this sort of uncertainty that people are dealing with to make it clear who speaks for the Country," Plibersek told Australian Broadcasting Corp on Aug. 28.Regis said it had consulted with 13 different groups and individuals during the permitting process."Regis takes its relationship with the Aboriginal stakeholders at our operations very seriously and conducted extensive engagement with Aboriginal parties from an early stage in the approvals process," it said in a statement to Reuters.To help miners manage consultations on protecting Aboriginal heritage while the rules are revised, the Responsible Investment Association Australasia, which counts 75% of the country's institutional investors as members, worked with First Nations, the government and mining giant BHP on best practices."The current laws remain inadequate, which is why we need investors and corporates themselves to step up," the association's co-CEO, Estelle Parker, said.Among its recommendations, the association urges miners to adhere to free, prior and informed consent that can be withdrawn at any time.The guide is "ambitious and probably unrealistic", law firm Ashurst said in a 2024 report, but it advised miners to get familiar with it."Be aware that change will come to Federal heritage laws. When it does, it will be closer to the expectations expressed in these recent publications than the current legal framework."($1 = 1.4601 Australian dollars)(Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Sonali Paul)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

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