3 Ways Indigenous Peoples Help the Environment

Author: Juliana Leon

This August 9 marks the International Day of Indigenous Peoples . This date is declared by the UN , United Nations Organization, in order to commemorate the fight to prevent discrimination, the recognition and claim of the individual and collective rights of these communities.

The date arises since the original peoples have lived for decades in poverty, without access to education or health, in addition to a severe shortage of water and food. Added to this situation is the constant attack by armed groups and forced displacement to use their lands.

These communities constantly work for the preservation of the environment and through their interaction with the land they manage to have a symbiotic relationship where both parties benefit from the final result.

At Saving the Amazon we want to highlight 3 ways in which indigenous peoples help the environment:

The chagra as an environmentally friendly practice

Although the chagra is "a space provided by the indigenous communities to cultivate, its value is not limited to its function of providing food" (Gaia Amazonas), this in turn is a relationship with the space that it inhabits and with the plants that They are grown to provide for the community. They understand this practice as the relationship between human beings and plants as beings united by blood or affinity.

Preservation of the ecosystem in which they inhabit

The indigenous communities consider that everything that is provided by the land strengthens the connection with the environment and likewise makes them part of the space in which they live. For this reason they protect resources such as rivers; the plants; animals; etc, of the damage that can be caused by the human hand. In this way, many indigenous communities mitigate the damage caused by climate change.

its adaptability

Unlike colonizing or globalized groups, indigenous peoples adapt to the environment that surrounds them, for this reason they seek to understand it and in the same way to know their needs. At the same time, they seek to adapt their lifestyle to the environment in such a way that they carry out their daily activities with respect for the land. In several cases it has been shown how the ecosystems that have been inhabited by indigenous communities have improved.

As you can see, indigenous communities play an indispensable role in the world and are also an example of sustainability. We invite you to learn more about the indigenous communities in our profile @Savingtheamazon