Networking for the respectful
appropriate recognition of the Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (ICCAs)
Dr. Taghi Farvar, Mr. Giovanni Reyes, Ms. Chrissy Grant, Mr. Sudeep Jana Thing, Mr Dermot Smyth.
Throughout history, indigenous peoples and local communities have evolved a variety of context-based sets of knowledge, practices, norms, values and institutions tailored to the unique characteristics of their territories, water and natural resources. In the last decade it has become widely acknowledged - e.g. by the Convention on Biological Diversity- that such ways of governing and managing resources have important consequences for conserving biological diversity, upholding sustainable livelihoods, cultures and respecting indigenous peoples' and local communities' rights and responsibilities. The term ICCAs— Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Territories and Areas -- is used to describe such collectively governed and conserved spaces. The ICCA Consortium, a global association of indigenous peoples' and local communities' organisations and supporting NGOs, was born to uphold ICCAs and make sure that their processes of recognition are respectful and appropriate. The Consortium proposes a workshop on lessons learned in years of networking and exchanges in support of ICCAs in countries as different as the Philippines, Nepal, India, Iran and Niger, complemented by experiences in ICCA-advocacy in international policy processes. It will include short presentations and much open dialogue towards "networking among networks" and effective collaboration in support of identified crucial concerns and issues.