Nia Tero - 2021 Annual Report - Report - Page 9
INTRODUCTION
NOTES FROM LEADERSHIP
Nia Tero’s rationale is straightforward:
there is a direct correlation between
the destruction of Indigenous cultures
and ways of life, and the extreme
volatility of the Earth’s climate and
destruction of its ecological vitality
and health.
Our Earth, and all of humanity, benefits from
supporting Indigenous cultures in their efforts
to fight injustice and remain in stewardship of
their traditional homelands. Indigenous peoples
make up five percent of the human population,
yet inhabit and have rights (in varying degrees)
to over one third of the planet. Half of our intact
tropical forests, 25% of all forest carbon, 80% of
all biodiversity, and over 40% of remaining
global lands in good ecological condition exist
on this portion of our planet—each of them
irreplaceable places that are essential to a
vibrant Earth.
We are a bridging organization that nurtures
deep and trusted relationships with Indigenous
peoples who are rooted in a sovereign vision for
their homelands and waters. Our Board is 60%
Indigenous, we are guided by an Indigenous
Advisory Council made up of respected
Indigenous leaders from around the world, and
our leadership team is 44% Indigenous. We have
purposefully built capacity to work across
multiple cultural divides, to lend long overdue
recognition and support to Indigenous peoples
for their contributions in confronting the
intersecting crises of threatened climate,
biodiversity, and health.
The Indigenous communities Nia Tero
partners with are making collective decisions
about their territories, many of which are under
direct assault from external forces acting
outside of the law, encouraged by lax or
complicit local and national authorities. Yet
there is clear and mounting evidence that when
Indigenous peoples' sovereignty is respected,
they are determined advocates for the health of
their territories and fierce defenders who
consistently outperform in the face of external
threats to protected areas—lands managed by
Indigenous peoples emit six times less carbon
than publicly protected lands, and 36 times less
INTRODUCTION - NOTES FROM LEADERSHIP |
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