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NATURAL RESOURCES
Forests and Indigenous People
Historically, Indigenous people have been considered with a paternalistic attitude as individuals who lack the knowledge to care for themselves.
The exploitation of Indian lands throughout the world has depended on the stereotypes placed on indigenous people. Their leaders have seldom been heard and the regions where they live, such as the Amazon, have been presented as inhabited while it is the home of disappearing indigenous groups. And with the disappearance of indigenous people, extensive knowledge of the rainforest and its environment disappears.
Because of their relationship with the land, indigenous people often have great knowledge of soil fertility, as well as an understanding of how to naturally restore degraded forest ecosystems. Many indigenous people living off the land study plant and animal species, anatomy, and develop a sophisticated method of pest control by using other insects as predators in their crops. They come to understand the different uses of medicinal plants, something which has contributed greatly to the pharmaceutical industry. Indigenous people have offered methods of agriculture, medicine and resource management that are sustainable and do not destroy the rainforest. Indigenous knowledge, if recognized and respected, would make a valuable contribution to research and development.
Rainforests are at a crisis, and this crisis extends to the social, economic and cultural levels, particularly as it impacts on indigenous peoples. The poor and population growth are often blamed for the stress on the environment and deforestation, yet it is really a series of issues, as outlined, that are to blame for the current loss of the world's forests.