Study finds forests on indigenous lands sequester twice the carbon
We have written at length, in great volume, and with great enthusiasm about the importance of green spaces in cities, carbon sinks, and environmentally helpful trees in general. Forests are absolutely essential to sequestering carbon and our continued adaptation to a changing climate, but some Read More...
7 Valuable lessons to learn from Indigenous wisdom keepers
Natasha Deganello Giraudie, a filmmaker from Venezuela, first encountered Indigenous wisdom keepers as a child on a road trip through her home country. She noticed, even at her young age, how the Pemón people had an emotional and spiritual connection to their ancestral lands, and treated rivers, Read More...
Indigenous communities are using drones to protect Amazon’s iconic jaguar
For many indigenous communities in the Amazon, the jaguar represents a culturally revered animal that, like many other species in the lush Brazilian rainforest, is key to maintaining a thriving ecosystem in the area. In recent years, however, increasing loss of habitat and a surge in illegal Read More...
Indigenous people play a key role in preserving vulnerable ecosystems
Environmentalists typically turn to rigorous scientific research to preserve ecosystems, but a recent study shows that grassroots knowledge from Indigenous people can play an equally important role in conservation efforts. The new study from Rutgers University collected more than 300 indicators Read More...
After 250 years, the Esselen tribe has reclaimed their homelands
In 1770, the people of the Esselen Tribe of northern California were forcibly removed from their lands and brought to Spanish missions. But now, after more than 250 years, the Esselen tribe is landless no more. This week, the Esselen tribe finalized the purchase of a 1,200-acre ranch near Big Read More...
The Green New Deal is pushing to secure greater rights for indigenous people
We’ve been talking a whole bunch about the Green New Deal on the Optimist Daily, and for good reason: it finally brings forth a feasible plan that addresses a multitude of key issues from clean energy to wealth inequality. For example, the Green New Deal includes a powerful provision to protect Read More...
Indian tribal women successfully claim titles to ancestral forestland
The plight of indigenous people robbed of their land by greedy corporations with the complicity of corrupt governments is a familiar story around the world. A less ordinary story is that of communities being given the legal opportunity to claim titles to the land that has been sustaining them for Read More...