Kenya's Ogiek people forced from homes amid 'colonial approach to conservation'

Indigenous hunter-gatherers are being violently evicted from what they claim are their ancestral lands as unrest takes hold over land rights in Kenya’s forests

Themes: Agriculture, Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people, Poverty

Communities lead the way in rainforest conservation in Guatemala

Themes: Conservation, REDD, Indigenous people, Parks, Poverty

In the Maya Biosphere Reserve concessions where local communities sustainably harvest forest products have proved a boon for people and the forest alike — but their future is uncertain. Mongabay correspondent Sandra Cuffe investigates the complex forces at play in her series exploring challenges in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.

Conservation’s people problem

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people, REDD, Parks, Poverty

The field of conservation has faced down an internal crisis over is its treatment of indigenous peoples and local communities living in ecosystems targeted for protection. Conservationists now often engage these groups in a spirit of partnership, asking and listening instead of telling and demanding. But still there is much work to do. Part 4 of Conservation, Divided: Mongabay’s four-part series investigating how the field of conservation has changed over the last 30 years.

Glowing review of Indigenous protected areas leaves sector proud but perplexed

Themes: Indigenous people, Parks, Poverty

A glowing independent review of Indigenous protected areas and ranger programs should have been a “free kick” for the Coalition but instead has left the sector worried for its future after the report was quietly published last week without announcement.

The legacy of Cecil the Lion

The mixed emotions surrounding sport hunting may be failing to take into account the views of local communities whose livelihoods may be affected by a proposed EU ban on trophies.

Themes: Conservation, Parks, Policy, Poverty

British MEP Neena Gill has tabled a Written Declaration in the European Parliament calling for a ban on trophy hunting imports into the European Union.

Is carbon funding hurting forest peoples?

Evidence from Madagascar

Themes: REDD, Conservation, CBD, Poverty, FPIC

The Paris Agreement of December 2015 encourages countries “…to take action to implement and support, including through results-based payments…activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation” (Article 5) as a key policy instrument for climate change mitigation. The Agreement also acknowledges the need to respect human rights in all climate actions.

Survival International Accuses WWF of Involvement in Violence and Abuse

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

Survival International has launched a formal complaint about the activities of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Cameroon. This is the first time a conservation organization has been the subject of a complaint to the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), using a procedure more normally invoked against multinational corporations.

Appeal to H.E. The President of Tanzania

With a change of Government in Dar Es Salaam the ICCA is once again pressing for the land rights of the people of Uvinje to be respected

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Parks, Poverty

Saadani was initially a game reserve created in the 1960s, partly at the behest of local residents concerned over seeing outsiders come in and indiscriminately kill wildlife. Saadani village contributed land for the reserve. However, when the game reserve became a national park records of the boundaries became scarce. Recent research seems to have done a thorough job of confirming the claims by local residents that the Tanzania National Parks Authority has arbitrarily redrawn park boundaries to snap up additional village land. Now they are ready to evict residents of Uvinje Sub-village.