A group of indigenous elders and representatives of indigenous communities around the world are currently visiting European cities for what they call a ‘Political Coffee’. The purpose is a sharing of stories that communities from Congo, Amazonia, Mesoamerica and Indonesia all have in common: their battle against corrupt local governments and businesses to preserve their people, their country and our forests. Think of illegal mining and logging, the construction of roads and dams or the extraction of fuel and excessive exploitation to obtain raw material for consumer goods. The Guardianes del Bosque (guardians of the forest) are working their way towards the COP23 climate change conference held in Bonn between 6 and 17th of november, demonstrating that the best way to combat climate change is to support the world’s indigenous peoples in their efforts to protect forests.
Possibly two of the most important questions presented to the public by Guardianes del Bosque are: If not us then who, if not now then when? Indigenous people make up 4% of the worlds’ population but they protect more than 80% of the worlds’ biodiversity. Forests cover almost a third of the earths land surface and play a major role in stemming the effects of our rapidly changing climate by absorbing an estimated 2.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
