Commentary: The Dynamics between Indigenous Rights and Environmental Governance: A Preliminary Analysis and Focus on the Impact of Climate Change Governance through the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Programme

Abstract

This piece discusses the complex relationship between international environmental governance, sometimes referred to as “earth system governance”, and indigenous rights. These two sets of governing institutions are theoretically envisioned as complementary, as both incorporate the important notion of environmental and natural resource protection. Emphasis has been progressively put on the natural symbiosis and correlation between the overall goals of sustainable development and indigenous self-determination and identity preservation. The specific connections forest dwellers and other indigenous populations have with their lands, the knowledge stemming from this connection and the significant role this plays in resource protection have been increasingly acknowledged.

This commentary focuses on the interplay of indigenous rights and climate change governance embodied in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its corollary, the initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries, later extended to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation “plus” conservation, the sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (REDD+). Discussion then turns to the potential opportunities and harm REDD+ mechanisms represent for indigenous communities and their rights.