The Director, Forestry Policy and Resources
Division at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Eva Muller, has said
that indigenous people as key to wildlife protection and rural livelihoods,
reports NaijaAgroNet.
Muller was quoted in FAO's quarterly forestry
publication Unasylva, made available to NaijaAgroNet in commemoration of World
Wildlife Day, as saying that actively involving indigenous peoples
and local communities in wildlife conservation is key to maintaining
biodiversity and ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods.
The director also said that the urgent
challenges that the world faces in maintaining biodiversity worldwide requires
that indigenous peoples are empowered to act at the national level with
assistance from the international community.
"Empowerment of these groups combined
with their knowledge and long-term planning skills is essential to ensure the
survival of future generations - of both humans and wildlife" Muller said.
The relationship between humans and wildlife,
Muller highlighted in the publication, citing several case studies from various
countries to illustrate how indigenous peoples can optimize the benefits for
their livelihoods while also safeguarding wildlife, provided they are given the
rights to make their own decisions in the territories they inhabit.
In the northern part of Mount Kenya, for
instance, the Il Lakipiak Maasai ("People of Wildlife") own and
operate the only community-owned rhino sanctuary in the country. These
indigenous peoples have managed to alleviate the human - wildlife conflicts
that arise in the area due to the intrusion of wild animals searching for
water, prey and pasture during drought. They achieved this by reducing
bush-cutting to ensure more fodder for wildlife on their lands. Through this
conservation strategy, indigenous peoples have demonstrated that they can
coexist harmoniously with wildlife while supporting their own pastoral lives
and cultures.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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