Fenced out of nature.

Outside Kruger National Park, the people who once lived inside may be the key to the reserve’s future.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Parks, Poverty

Kruger National Park and the communities around its borders represent the global front line in the battle against rhino poaching. South Africa contains the largest remaining rhino populations in the world, and most of the killing is happening in and around Kruger. In these villages, residents are caught in the middle of an escalating fight between poachers and conservationists — one that has grown in intensity and violence as prices skyrocket. Poor and dispossessed, these villages potentially hold the key to solving this crisis in the long run, and yet distrust runs deep.

Illegal evictions of Baiga indigenous people from India’s Kanha National Park.

Themes: Conservation, FPIC, Human rights, Indigenous people, Parks

In March 2017, India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority issued a notice asking 17 states to suspend the rights of indigenous peoples and other forest dwellers in critical tiger habitats.

India: Almost 40,000 people were evicted in the name of conservation in 2017.

In 2017, government authorities in India destroyed almost 8,000 homes and forcefully evicted nearly 40,000 people, in the name of conservation. That’s more than 20 homes destroyed and 109 people evicted every day.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights

Threats of eviction against indigenous Sengwer people continue in Kenya.

In an Urgent Action Alert, Amnesty International is asking people to write to the director of the Kenya Forest Service.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people

India's National Tiger Conservation Authority rides roughshod over the Forest Rights Act.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people, Parks, Policy

An order passed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority on March 27, 2017 categorically states that the Forest Rights Act (FRA) will not apply in Tiger Reserves. By doing this, the order not only invalidates the rights of communities who live within Tiger Reserves, but also confuses the provisions of the two laws: the Forest Rights Act and the Wildlife Protection Act.

"Too scared to go into the forest.”

Complaint abandoned, but systematic human rights violations continue for indigenous Baka communities in Cameroon.

Themes: Conservation, FPIC, Human rights, Indigenous people, Parks

Legal recognition in the works for communities occupying Indonesia’s conservation areas.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people, Parks

The Indonesian government plans to formally recognize the occupation and use of land inside conservation areas, including national parks, by local and indigenous communities. The program will grant these communities access to clearly defined areas within these conservation zones, in exchange for managing these areas responsibly and sustainably, and not expanding their encroachment. However, the program could clash with a 2017 presidential regulation that emphasizes resettlement as a solution to human encroachment in conservation areas.

Kenya Flushes Out 'Criminals' in Forest Dispute After Sengwer Killing.

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people

Security forces are flushing "criminal elements" out of a forest in western Kenya, an official said on Thursday, two days after a man was killed there, leading the European Union to suspend aid.