A panel of indigenous leaders from Peru have called for direct investment in their communities and to centre Indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts on the first day of the UN’s Biodiversity Conference (COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.
They cited high costs, both financial and human, that affect their communities in an ongoing struggle to preserve their lands around the Amazon rainforest and lowlands.
“Who is really conserving the Amazonian lowland? Indigenous people who are also acutely experiencing the effects of climate change such as drought and oil spills,” said Olivia Bisa Tirko, the current president of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Chapra Nation.
Gil Inoach Shawit, the Pamuk, or governor, of the Awajún Territorial Autonomous Government, highlighted that despite living across an area of around 3 million hectares, the Peruvian government has only recognized 1.8 million hectares of Awajún territory. The rest is owned by the state.
He called on the government of Peru to recognize all areas where Awajún communities live, so that they can effectively conserve and protect all of their traditional lands.
Another key issue which the panel discussed was the security of Indigenous areas. Tirko highlighted that ancestral communities are on the front lines in the fight to protect the Amazon against illegal gold miners, loggers, and narco-trafficers.
This fight can be deadly: in the past few years, 38 land defenders from her community have been killed, although Tirko estimates that the number could be higher.
She also drew attention to economic issues which Indigenous communities globally face. According to the World Bank, Indigenous communities make up 6.2% of the world’s population but 18.2% of those living in extreme poverty.
The panel highlighted that there is an expectation for Indigenous communities to conserve and protect their traditional lands without financial compensation. Evidence points to Indigenous lands being the best protected, with high rates of biodiversity and lower rates of deforestation, but these efforts are often taken for granted.
Poverty can also leave communities more vulnerable to external factors, such as the effects of climate change like drought or pollution of natural resources, or to exploitation of illegal miners and loggers.
Members of the panel collectively emphasized that biodiversity conservation can only be effective when it centres the voices, knowledge, and traditional land use of Indigenous communities.
These areas are ‘territories of life’, places which have supported all aspects of daily life – including shelter, medicine, tools, and food – for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
They called on international governments to recognize Indigenous methods of conservation and to improve literacy of a diverse range of conservation practices.
The panel also appealed for direct funding to go towards Indigenous communities. This would mean investing in the work of the Autonomous Governments, rather than the government of Peru, to ensure Indigenous people are compensated for their conservation efforts. Additionally, they argued businesses should pay communities fairly for natural resources they produce and sell, such as cocoa.
Alongside the ‘Blue Zone’ at the COP17, where officials from around the world are expected to meet, the ‘Green Zone’ aims to bring together Indigenous leaders, civil society organisations, businesses, and youth movements for a series of panel discussions, talks, and workshops on biodiversity. The conference will run until the 30th of October.
Featured image description: Indigenous leaders spoke on the first day of the Biodiversity COP17 in Armenia.
Featured image credit: @COP17_Arm2026