Indigenous people account for just 5% of the world's population yet they are guardians of 25% of the world's land mass and 85% of its surviving biodiversity.
Of the earth's 8 billion inhabitants, just 5% are considered indigenous. This small minority is responsible for managing about a quarter of the world's land mass, looking after ecosystems that provide a home to over 80% of the earth's surviving biodiversity - and yet they have little say in the decisions that are taken that determine how we respond to the climate crisis.
Sonia Guajajara of the Arariboia in Brazil, Jose Gregorio Diaz Mirabal of the Wakuenai Kurripaco of Venezuela, Professor Leroy Little Bear of the Blackfoot in Canada and Rose and Clyde Rigney of the Ngarrindjeri in Australia are all articulate advocates for the close relationship that indigenous people have with nature. We have much to learn from them as we try to create a sustainable future in harmony with the world around us.