At COP16, FUNAI underscores Indigenous peoples' crucial role in biodiversity protection

Brazil’s linguistic and cultural diversity among Indigenous peoples, the need for new communication approaches to raise societal awareness, and the Indigenous communities' historic ties to their territories through sustainable practices that support ecological balance were key points highlighted by Joenia Wapichana, president of the National Indigenous Peoples Foundation (Fundação Nacional dos Povos Indígenas, Funai), on Tuesday (22) at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference — COP16 in Cali, Colombia.

The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon play a key role in biodiversity conservation by practicing low-impact agriculture, extractivism, and the medicinal use of plants. This knowledge is passed on from generation to generation and is essential for the conservation of forests and entire ecosystems” — Joenia Wapichana, FUNAI President

Wapichana presented this information at the panel “Voices of the Amazon: Indigenous perspectives on biodiversity conservation and resilience in the face of climate change,” sponsored by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO).

“The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon play a key role in biodiversity conservation, applying techniques such as low-impact agriculture, extractivism, and the medicinal use of plants. This knowledge is passed on from generation to generation and is essential for the conservation of forests and entire ecosystems,” explained the president of FUNAI, Joenia Wapichana.

During the panel, the Brazilian film Território Pequi was shown as a clear illustration of this connection. The documentary was produced by the Kuikuro people of the Upper Xingu and portrays the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the pequi tree, a symbol of vast cultural and genetic heritage, essential to the sustainable agricultural systems of the Amazon.

FUNAI — FUNAI has been instrumental in defending the rights of Indigenous peoples and protecting their territories. The institution counts on the support of international partners such as GIZ to promote culturally adequate climate financing mechanisms, ensuring that Indigenous communities and peoples can actively participate in climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.

CLIMATE BALANCE — On Monday, October 21, during the panel “The Importance of Indigenous Lands to Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Balance,” sponsored by FUNAI, the agency listed a series of factors that motivate the need for environmental protection of Indigenous lands and especially of those who protect biodiversity.

According to the Indigenistic agency, protection must be looked at in the widest possible sense, encompassing both biodiversity conservation and measures to ensure the conditions of “living well” (bem-viver, or buen vivir) and of the very safety of Indigenous peoples.

Joenia Wapichana underscored the need to include the protection of those who protect biodiversity. “When there are propositions to counter the climate crisis faced by the world, it is always important to make the connection with other challenges, such as ensuring the social rights of Indigenous peoples,” she highlighted.

“The Indigenous lands are not empty, they sustain human beings, people who feel cold, who feel hot, who feel hungry, who have needs, who feel insecure because of the threats to their territories, who get ill from diseases that spread through the contamination derived from the invasions,” emphasized the president of FUNAI.

Among the factors mentioned by Wapichana that motivate the need for environmental protection of Indigenous lands are lower deforestation rates when compared to other conservation units; the effectiveness of FUNAI’s territorial protection policy, through monitoring and vigilance of Indigenous lands; and the contribution of fully-owned Indigenous lands to global climate control and an ecologically balanced environment.

ACTIONS — Wapichana also highlighted FUNAI’s efforts since 2023 to protect Indigenous peoples, especially through the resumption of land demarcation processes that had been stalled for six years. Since last year, eight Working Groups (WG) have been created to perform studies to identify and demarcate Indigenous lands. There are currently more than 30 ongoing groups and 150 Indigenous lands are in the field study stage.

Through the joint work articulated by the Federal Government, seven Indigenous lands have reached the disintrusion stage, which is when non-Indigenous individuals are removed from the traditionally occupied lands. The Federal Government has already ratified 10 Indigenous lands and issued four declaratory decrees recognizing that these lands are for the exclusive use of Indigenous peoples.

“We had a sad period in our history when the demarcation processes remained paralyzed for many years. FUNAI is a federal Indigenist agency and the main executor of the Indigenist policy, which means no other agency in Brazil works with Indigenous land demarcation. So, when it stops working, when FUNAI is not provided with the means to move forward, or when there is a bill of law that halts it, Indigenous land demarcation stops,” said the president.

COP16 — The Biodiversity COP (Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity) is the main global forum where countries gather to discuss and negotiate actions for biodiversity conservation. As an international treaty adopted at the Earth Summit held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, it aims to establish agendas, commitments, and action frameworks to conserve biological diversity and ensure its sustainable use, as well as to guarantee the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources.

Biodiversity encompasses the variety of species, ecosystems, and genetic resources that sustain life on Earth. Its preservation is essential to maintaining ecological balance, ensuring food safety, combating climate change, and promoting sustainable development.