Indigenous Communities: A Force for Good in Fight against Climate Change
By Kelsey Hera
Environmental sustainability is critical for Africa’s future as the continent faces mounting challenges related to climate change, deforestation, land degradation, and biodiversity loss.
Indigenous communities are vital in addressing these challenges, as they possess traditional knowledge and practices deeply connected to their ecosystems.
Africa is home to many indigenous communities, from the San of Southern Africa to the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, the Ogiek of Kenya, the Tuareg in the Sahara, and the Himba people of Namibia.
The International World Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) and the African Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) have estimated that there are approximately 50 million Indigenous people in Africa. Most of them are farmers, pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and hunter-gatherers.
As traditional custodians of the land, their practices and knowledge systems are integral to preserving the environment and maintaining biodiversity. These communities often rely on conventional practices, including rotational farming, forest management, and hunting, that promote sustainable land management and biodiversity conservation despite facing significant external pressures such as industrialization, land dispossession, and climate change.
In recent years, these communities have increasingly found themselves on the front lines of the fight to conserve the environment against people bent on exploiting forests and forest lands.
Furthermore, Indigenous communities have contributed to environmental practices by conserving biodiversity using traditional, sustainable agricultural and hunting practices. They often engage in rotational farming, seasonal hunting, and selective harvesting, ensuring that natural resources are not depleted.
For instance, the Himba People of Namibia have developed efficient water conservation techniques in the semi-arid region. They build wells to access underground water sources and limit water use to ensure it lasts through the dry season. Their intimate knowledge of water sources, such as seasonal rivers and waterholes, allows them to survive in one of the driest regions of the continent while minimizing the impact on the local environment.
Secondly, the Himba also use sustainable materials from their environment to construct their homes, known as “kraals.” These homes are made of mud, wood, and grass, materials that are renewable and biodegradable. This practice minimizes environmental degradation, unlike modern construction methods that rely on non-renewable resources.
However, despite their positive contributions to biodiversity conservation, Indigenous communities face daunting challenges, including displacement, lack of legal recognition, encroachment of extractive industries that degrade their lands, and climate change. Indigenous knowledge, often ignored in favor of Western conservation models, offers a critical, sustainable approach to managing the impacts of climate change and other environmental crises.
Therefore, measures should be implemented to enhance indigenous communities’ contribution to environmental sustainability. Governments should prioritize securing land rights for indigenous communities. This would allow them to manage their territories according to traditional practices, preventing land encroachment by external actors. Legal recognition of their land ownership would also ensure they have control over natural resources, enabling them to continue their sustainable practices.
In addition, indigenous ecological knowledge should not only be incorporated into national and international environmental policies but also respected and implemented. Indigenous leaders, governments, and environmental organizations should collaborate to create policies that both respect indigenous practices and address broader environmental concerns.
In summary, Indigenous communities play a pivotal role in environmental protection across Africa, but they continue to face numerous threats. By recognizing their land rights, promoting their knowledge, and ensuring their participation in environmental governance, these communities can be a force for good in the fight against climate change.
The Writer is a graduate of International Relations and Diplomacy.