Post
“These are what I would call silent #genocides — there are no TV crews, no #journalists. But they are happening, & they’re happening now,” said Fiona Watson, Survival’s research & advocacy director, who has worked on #IndigenousRights for >3 decades.
The issue often receives little priority from governments, which critics say see uncontacted #IndigenousPeoples as politically marginal because they don’t vote & their territories are often coveted for #logging, #mining & #oil extraction.
A new report by #SurvivalInternational, a London-based #IndigenousRights organization, attempts one of the broadest tallies yet, identifying at least 196 #UncontactedIndigenous groups in 10 countries, primarily in South American nations sharing the #AmazonRainforest. Released Sunday, the report estimates that nearly 65% face threats from #logging, ~40% from #mining & ~20% from #agribusiness.
#IndigenousPeoples #LandConservation #LandRights #SaveRoadless #ClimateCrisis
https://uncontactedpeoples.org/
“These are what I would call silent #genocides — there are no TV crews, no #journalists. But they are happening, & they’re happening now,” said Fiona Watson, Survival’s research & advocacy director, who has worked on #IndigenousRights for >3 decades.
The issue often receives little priority from governments, which critics say see uncontacted #IndigenousPeoples as politically marginal because they don’t vote & their territories are often coveted for #logging, #mining & #oil extraction.
Public debate is also shaped by #stereotypes — some romanticize them as “lost tribes,” while others view them as barriers to #development.
Survival’s research concludes that half of these groups “could be wiped out within 10 years if governments & companies do not act.”
#UncontactedIndigenous peoples are not “lost tribes” frozen in time, Watson said. They are contemporary societies that deliberately avoid outsiders after generations of #violence, #slavery & #disease.
“They don’t need anything from us. They’re happy in the forest. They have incredible knowledge & they help keep these very valuable forests standing—essential to all humanity in the fight against #ClimateChange,” Watson said.
Survival’s research shows that >95% of the world’s uncontacted #IndigenousPeoples live in the #Amazon, with smaller populations in South & Southeast Asia & the Pacific.
#UncontactedIndigenous #IndigenousRights #LandConservation #LandRights #SaveRoadless #ClimateCrisis
Groups living in voluntary isolation have “minimal to no contact with those outside of their own group,” said Dr. Subhra Bhattacharjee, director general of the Forest Stewardship Council & an #IndigenousRights expert based in Germany. “A simple cold that you & I recover from in a week…they could die of that cold.”
Beyond disease, contact can destroy livelihoods & belief systems. #InternationalLaw requires free, prior & informed consent — known as #FPIC — before any activity on #IndigenousLands.
A space for Bonfire maintainers and contributors to communicate
