Indigenous peoples will meet with government and non-governmental organizations to discuss the continuity of environmental plans for their territories in light of the impacts of climate change.
According to the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), indigenous territories occupy approximately 13% of Brazilian territory. These territories are inhabited by different ethnic groups with diverse ways of relating to biodiversity. In this context, in 2012, the National Policy for Territorial and Environmental Management of Indigenous Lands (PNGATI) was launched, a result of the struggle and work of the indigenous movement in partnership with governmental institutions and civil society. Given the development model adopted in Brazil and its consequences in terms of climate change, the PNGATI sought to obtain instruments to promote the protection, recovery, and sustainable use of natural resources, including the Environmental and Territorial Management Plans (PGTAs).
To evaluate the implementation of Territorial and Environmental Management Plans (PGTAs) in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes between 2015 and 2017 and the challenges for their continuity, the Ministry of the Environment (MMA), FUNAI (National Indian Foundation), and the Institute for Society, Population and Nature (ISPN) will hold the Seminar on Challenges of Indigenous Land Management in the Cerrado and Caatinga Biomes, from September 25th to 27th, in Brasília. Sixteen ethnic groups from the states of Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Bahia, Ceará, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, and Goiás will reflect on the PGTAs as tools for territorial strengthening, strategies for the continuity of plans in the biomes, and instruments to deal with the impacts of climate change in their territories.
“Climate change brings a series of impacts to indigenous peoples. It alters rainfall patterns, impacts waterways, hindering access to water resources, affects traditional agricultural, fishing and hunting practices, weakening traditional management calendars and, consequently, food production, among other impacts,” explains ISPN technical advisor, Isabella Ferreira.
According to João Guilherme Cruz, coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Program at ISPN, the seminar is a strategic moment to reflect on improving the living conditions of indigenous peoples. “The seminar will discuss possible strategies for implementing the actions foreseen in the Territorial and Environmental Management Plans (PGTAs). These are continuous processes of reflection and diagnosis on the situation of the land, the environment, and other spheres of the communities' lives, as well as on the actions necessary both to mitigate problems and to give vent to the potential, projects, and strategies that the indigenous people themselves have been conducting to improve their territories and their lives,” he points out.
According to FUNAI (National Indian Foundation), satellite images confirm that indigenous territories are able to remain preserved even in the face of developmental expansion, serving as an important tool to slow deforestation and maintain biodiversity. Given the new challenges posed by climate change, it is necessary to ensure debate and strengthen environmental management of Indigenous Lands so that the conservation of natural resources is maintained and different ethnic groups can continue their ways of living with the environment, respecting their histories with environmental balance and well-being.