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2023 Archives

Kenyans Are Being Erased: Blood Carbon

If the carbon credit scam succeeds, money meant for environmental protection could instead fund mass displacement.

You’ve heard of blood diamonds – extracted by violence, slavery, and displacement then processed through accounting magic and slick marketing until the finished product appears clean. Like the carbon atoms that make up these diamonds, under extreme pressure and buried far out of sight, the ravaged lives of millions of people are transformed into a sparkling symbol of eternal love for purchase. The ghoulishness of the irony is surpassed only by the profit margins.

More… Dec 19, 2023

A Fight for Land in the Shadow of a Ugandan Mountain

Burned homes and captured livestock mark a decadeslong feud over land on the outskirts of a renowned forest. Can a partnership bring peace?

KWEEN, UGANDA — One morning in May, Sangura Masai was washing his face at home in Kokwotorokwo, a village on the outskirts of a vast national park in eastern Uganda, when his two teenage sons rushed toward him in fear. His sons told him they had heard voices shouting “toka hapa,” Swahili for “leave here.” Rangers from the Uganda Wildlife Authority, a government agency that manages and protects wildlife in and outside protected areas, had arrived.

More… Nov 20, 2023

Kenya's Ogiek people being evicted for carbon credits - lawyers

Hundreds of members of the Ogiek community are being evicted from the Mau Forest, say their representatives.

Kenya's government is illegally evicting hunter-gatherers from their ancestral lands to profit from carbon offsetting schemes, human rights lawyers say.

More… Nov 10, 2023

‘We are living in absolute fear’: call to stop Indigenous evictions in Rift Valley

Human rights groups demand Kenyan government halt forced evictions of Ogiek community from Mau forest

“We are calling for an immediate cessation of ongoing demolitions and the evictions,” said Cyrus Maweu, deputy director of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR).

More… Nov 09, 2023

Kenyan government must end illegal evictions of Ogiek in Mau Forest

Minority Rights Group (MRG) vehemently condemns the Government of Kenya’s renewed eviction campaign against the indigenous Ogiek community of Mau Forest Complex in Kenya.

On 2 November 2023, rangers of the Kenya Forest Service (KFS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) started forcefully evicting Ogiek from their ancestral lands by violently destroying and burning Ogiek homes and schools in Sasimwani, Narok County. The campaign, which is ongoing, has left over 700* Ogiek community members homeless with nowhere to go. The damage done to Ogiek homes, property and belongings by the KFS and KWS rangers are worth an estimated 50 million KES.

More… Nov 09, 2023

For 1st time, Indonesia government recognizes ancestral forests in Aceh.

But only some.

The Indonesian government has recognized 22,549 hectares (55,700 acres) of ancestral forests in Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra — the first time for the region. In total, Indigenous communities in Aceh seek recognition of 144,497 hectares (357,060 acres) of customary forests, and thus activists are calling for the government to recognize the rest of the forests. The communities welcome the recognition, saying it will give them legal protection to manage their forests in a sustainable manner.

More… Nov 09, 2023

Partial Victory for the Maasai of Loliondo in the High Court.

The Tanzanian Government Responds with the Most Destructive Contempt of Court

The ruling - Miscellaneous Civil Cause No. 21 of 2022 - The government’s malicious interpretation of the ruling - Grazing and violence after the High Court ruling - At last sued for contempt of court! - Odero harassed about citizenship at ACPHR session - Continued pressure for German-funded crime legitimization - The Germans MUST be sued for their relentless facilitation of violent dispossession - We also have the cases in the East African Court of Justice - Brief Loliondo hunting block background - Briefly about the 2022 threats leading up to the brutal and illegal demarcation - Briefly about the brutal and illegal demarcation of an illegal "game reserve" - NCA, - bye bye Manongi, and the government again denies well-documented adulterated salt, UNESCO again - Apologies and reflexions on very long and horribly delayed blog posts

More… Nov 04, 2023

World Bank accused of supporting evictions, rights abuses at Tanzanian park

In a report released last week, the US-based advocacy group The Oakland Institute accused the World Bank of complicity in what it said were serious human rights abuses committed by rangers at the Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania.

Rangers at Ruaha have received support from the bank through a program meant to boost tourism to the park. Human rights advocates and community leaders from the region who spoke to Mongabay said that rangers had carried out extrajudicial killings, sexual assaults, and livestock theft. The accusations are the latest in an ongoing clash over the rights of Indigenous peoples living in and near wildlife reserves in Tanzania, which draw billions of dollars per year in tourism revenue.

More… Oct 09, 2023

Investigation launched into killings and evictions on World Bank tourism project

Tanzania government blamed for violence against villagers in national park, while thousands more people face losing their homes

The Regrow project will almost double the size of Ruaha national park, but the World Bank has been accused of ‘enabling’ the violence.

More… Oct 09, 2023

Cameroon grants indigenous Baka more access to protected forests

The government of Cameroon and the indigenous Baka people in the country's southeast have agreed to an updated memorandum of understanding that provides them with more access to natural resources in the country's protected forest areas.

The memorandum, that was signed on 19 September in the regional capital Bertoua, expands upon an initial agreement that was reached in 2019 that gave Baka communities unfettered access to the Lobeke and Boumba Bek National Parks.

More… Sep 27, 2023

Evictions Disguised as Conservation: Voices from the Land That Was to Run Forever.

In recent years, the resilient and courageous Maasai communities of Tanzania have been faced with a challenge previously unmatched—“fortress” conservation.

“[The elders] say we are the Maasai warriors. But we have never been in a war like this.” – A Maasai Leader, Loliondo, Tanzania

More… Aug 28, 2023

Revealed: Big conservation NGOs are majority governed by finance figures.

Conservationists express alarm that finance execs dominate the boards of four powerful NGOs, especially as controversial carbon markets skyrocket.

New analysis has revealed that the majority of trustees at arguably the four biggest conservation NGOs in the world are closely linked to the finance industry. The revelation into who governs these influential and wealthy Western-based organisations has alarmed conservation specialists.

More… Aug 28, 2023

Elephant corridors.

The busy trunk routes where locals take care to cross.

More… Aug 20, 2023

Broken promises drive exiled hunter-gatherers back to Congolese gorilla refuge

KAHUZI-BIEGA NATIONAL PARK, Democratic Republic of Congo

In the forested borderlands of eastern Congo, some members of an exiled hunter-gatherer community plan to move back into their ancestral land in a national park in protest over broken promises from the authorities they say put rare gorillas over their rights.

More… Aug 15, 2023

Continued Violence and Mostly Silence in Loliondo and NCA.

Some Voices Raised on the Anniversary of the Brutal and Lawless Land Grabbing Attack on Loliondo

In this blog post: Stolen grazing land and criminal rangers. Violence in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NOT to be mixed up with Loliondo). The rejected, German facilitated, fake, and forced land use planning. For a brief reminder of what the Germans do; The maliciously misleading and rejected NDLUFP document, including another Lake Natron threat. Anniversary of the biggest crime and various people speaking up on the record. A most disgusting budget speech by Mchengerwa. Amnesty report. Court cases.

More… Aug 10, 2023

A Road to Where?

The consequences of new roads in the Amazon

Soon this lush valley will be transformed by a new road being constructed by the Cusco regional government, the Yarwis – San Antonio road or Yarwis for short. The project is complicated by the fact that the Mapacho River Basin is one of the most terrestrial biodiverse places on earth and a critical area for conservation.

More… Jul 26, 2023

In Namibia, a Lauded Community Conservation Model Is at Risk

Namibia has long been praised for its locally-based conservancies that have benefited both wildlife and rural communities

But the government is now allowing oil and gas and other companies onto previously protected lands, putting the nation’s conservation gains in jeopardy.

More… Jul 25, 2023

Indigenous and local communities see big gains in land rights, study shows

Land legally designated or owned by Indigenous, Afro-descendant and local communities increased by 102.9 million hectares (254 million acres) between 2015 and 2020, according to a new report released by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).The report analyzed land increases across 73 countries and showed increases in 21 countries, though a handful of countries, like Kenya and Liberia, drove most of the significant gains. At least 1.3 billion hectares (3.3 billion acres) of ancestral lands have not been recognized under national laws and regulations. Many industrially developing countries are experiencing an increased demand for land, including Indigenous lands, and prioritize these sectors that achieve economic and industrial development or national climate and conservation targets over Indigenous land claims.

More… Jul 25, 2023

Climate activists in Himalayan belt share concerns on Forest Conservation Bill

The new Bill threatens the constitutional rights of forest dwelling communities and would result in complete commercialisation of forest land, according to environmentalists.

More… Jul 25, 2023

Braving heavy rains, children join the fight to scrap Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023

Call for saving the forests for posterity; claim that the amendment in the Bill will lead to deforestation and disaster

More… Jul 25, 2023

Why There Are Serious Concerns Regarding Amendment of Forest Conservation Law

The recent debate on amendment of forest conservation law has seen the emergence of a broad range of objections that need to be responded to.

More… Jul 25, 2023

How Tribal People Have Been Losing Their Land Rights Steadily for Years

How will you feel if someone promises to remove an injustice you have suffered for years, but in the end leaves you suffering even more than before?

More… Jul 25, 2023

What went wrong with conservation at Kahuzi-Biega National Park and how to transform it (commentary)

The Coercive Conservation paradigm prevents local communities from accessing their lands, leading to human rights abuses, corrupt resource extraction, and loss of habitat and wildlife. Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which expelled Indigenous Batwa people in 1975, is now overrun by refugees, militias, and mining, while ecoguards reportedly burn villages and kill indigenous people. We can transform conservation by supporting Protected Areas that integrate human well-being, are designed and managed by local communities, and are protected by local people with support from security forces, upon request. This article is a commentary. The views expressed are those of the author, not necessarily of Mongabay.

More… Jul 24, 2023

French government scraps funding plan for Kahuzi-Biega National Park, citing human rights concerns

But the German government ignores requests to cancel its own funding

Kahuzi-Biega National Park has been the scene of countless, well-documented atrocities against the Indigenous Batwa people who once lived there.

More… Jul 24, 2023

Bankariyas, indigenous people living by national parks in Nepal, deprived of fundamental rights

"These are not mere trees but our food and medicine. These are not forests but our home!"

More… Jun 03, 2023

Maasai Are Getting Pushed Off Their Land So Dubai Royalty Can Shoot Lions

Tanzania’s government wants big tourism money. Herders don’t want to lose their livelihoods.

Below is a link to an excellent in-depth analysis by Paul Tullis of Blomberg of the Loliondo crisis that brings together the distinct threads that have combined to create a collision between traditional land use, modern conservation and tourism.

More… May 23, 2023

Deep in the Peruvian Amazon, the Shipibo people are battling conservation authorities to reclaim management of their land.

This story is part of The Human Cost of Conservation, a Grist series on Indigenous rights and protected areas. It was supported by The Pulitzer Center, and is published in partnership with Indian Country Today.

More… May 18, 2023

How the world’s favorite conservation model was built on colonial violence.

30x30 has been pitched as a key tool in the climate fight. Indigenous peoples say it threatens their lives.

This story is part of The Human Cost of Conservation, a Grist series on Indigenous rights and protected areas, and is co-published with Indian Country Today.

More… May 17, 2023

Maasai conservationist strives to protect Indigenous rights because ‘land is life’.

“As a member of the Maasai community in Tanzania, I am all too aware of how for thousands of years, Indigenous communities have been the caretakers of the environment, protecting their lands and respecting wildlife,” a new op-ed says.

More… May 13, 2023

Tribal peoples across India join forces to denounce Protected Areas on their lands.

During the week long march Adivasis gathered together to share their experiences of evictions and abuse in Protected Areas across India

More… Apr 18, 2023

The War Against the Maasai of Loliondo and NCAA Continues.

There was a German-Facilitated Meeting to Legitimize it, Commission on Human Rights and Good Governance Visited, the Case of the Enforced Disappearance of Oriais Oleng'iyo has Begun, UNESCO, and More

It is not a nightmare that you can wake up from. The horror is real. The threat, lobbied for by OBC, that organize hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, of taking 1,500 km2 of grazing land from the Maasai of Loliondo - squeezing them into land with towns, agricultural areas, forest reserves, and a nasty American land grab – was last year implemented with brutality and lawlessness by the Tanzanian government.

More… Apr 03, 2023

Debunking the colonial myth of the ‘African Eden’.

Q&A with author Guillaume Blanc by Malavika Vyawahare on 23 September 2022

In debunking persistent myths like that of an “African Eden,” Guillaume Blanc, author of “The Invention of Green Colonialism,” lays bare contradictions in the European project to secure and simultaneously exploit Africa’s land during direct colonial rule and after. “The more the destruction was happening in Northern [Hemisphere] countries, the more we wanted to save it in Africa,” he told Mongabay in an interview, describing how the campaign to preserve pristine wilderness in Africa has led to the casting of its inhabitants as destructive invaders. Blanc argues that the organizations that evolved out of colonial arrangements for colonial aims must acknowledge and apologize for the harm inflicted, dig deeper when seeking change, and cast a wider net for more meaningful solutions that treat citizens of African countries as collaborators not encroachers on their own lands. Organizations with a global presence must work with residents of places where they operate and focus on localized research and solutions to remain relevant, Blanc said.

More… Feb 07, 2023

The Words of Salangat ole Mako

On the Run for In Vain Trying to Tell the Truth to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights that Never Came

Salangat ole Mako has in his own words become a – nightly - grass thief in his own land. He is a Maasai pastoralist and a small-scale commercial cultivator of vegetables and fruits in Ololosokwan village in Loliondo. As lobbied for by OBC, that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, 75% of his, and everyone’s, grazing land has brutally and lawlessly been taken by the Tanzanian government for a “protected area”, and then there have been threats of taking his farm. On 25th January, Salangat was waiting in vain for a much shambolic and government co-opted visit by the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights (I hope to very soon post a blog post about this). A brief clip of what he would have wanted to tell the Commission was shared online. The following day the Officer Commanding Ngorongoro District came to Ololosokwan to say that the gathering waiting for the international organization had not had a permit and that Salangat had been talking thrash. Then Salangat received more threats and fled to Kenya.

More… Feb 01, 2023

Indigenous communities in Latin America decry the Mennonites’ expanding land occupation

A team of journalists followed in the footsteps of five Mennonite colonies that have been reported for clearing forests by Indigenous communities and locals in Bolivia, Colombia, México, Paraguay and Perú. Many of these cases are being investigated by prosecutors and environmental authorities. Authors of a recent study to understand the extension of Mennonite presence in the region say that the expansion will continue as the colonies grow in size and continue to pursue farming, creating new colonies. Many of these cases are being investigated by prosecutors and environmental authorities.

More… Feb 01, 2023

Community wildlife conservation isn’t always a win-win solution:

The case of Kenya’s Samburu

Community-based wildlife conservation is often promoted as a win-win solution. The idea behind this approach is that the people who live close to wildlife can be involved in protecting it and have an interest in doing so. This results in wildlife being protected (a win for global biodiversity) and local people benefiting from conservation through tourism revenues, jobs, or new infrastructure like schools, clinics and water supplies.

More… Jan 18, 2023