A/71/229
indigenous peoples’ rights and more effective and equitable governance. WWF
Cameroon is advocating with the Government for formalized national free, prior and
informed consent requirements and guidelines. Additional examples of positive
practices reported are support by transnational corporations for securing collective
land rights in Indonesia and the United Republic of Tanzania.
49. Most conservation organizations lack complaints and grievance mechanisms or
are in the initial stages of developing such measures. As a positiv e initiative,
Conservation International is currently designing a complaints mechanism, to be
effective in 14 countries, in consultation with indigenous communities. In 2011,
IUCN established the Whakatane Mechanism to undertake assessments with
recommendations, in order to mediate in situations where indigenous peoples have
been negatively affected by conservation measures. The first two pilot assessments
took place in 2011 and 2012, in Mount Elgon, Kenya and in Ob Luang National
Park, Thailand. Implementation of the mechanism has, however, stalled and requires
additional resources and support from IUCN members to become operational.
50. Several conservation organizations, including IUCN, WWF and Conservation
International reported that they engage regularl y with indigenous international
forums or that they support the participation of indigenous representatives at key
debates on environment and conservation. Some conservation organizations have
established advisory bodies consisting of indigenous peoples an d have ensured that
indigenous peoples are represented in senior positions within their organization,
including on their boards. In a positive development, IUCN is currently revising its
membership requirements, in order to enable more indigenous organizat ions to join
and formally engage in discussions on conservation policy and practice.
VII. Key conservation challenges and opportunities
51. The respective Special Rapporteurs on the rights of indigenous peoples have,
since the establishment of the mandate in 2001, received numerous allegations of
large-scale violations of the rights of indigenous peoples in the context of
conservation measures. Among the consequences indigenous peoples have faced
following forced displacement from protected areas are marginalization, poverty,
loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, extrajudicial killings, and disrupted links with
spiritual sites and denial of access to justice and remedy. The successive special
rapporteurs have raised serious concerns over the impact that protected areas have
had on indigenous peoples in a wide range of countries, including: Argentina,
Botswana, Chile, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, the
Russian Federation, South Africa and the United States of America. 39
52. Many of these violations persist in countries where protected areas were
declared prior to the introduction of rights-based conservation and where legal
reforms in favour of indigenous peoples’ rights remain deficient. The lack of
collective land rights for indigenous people is a primary obstacle to ensuring that
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See A/HRC/21/47/Add.2 (Argentina); E/CN.4/2002/97/Add.1 (Botswana); A/HRC/32/53 (Chile);
A/HRC/4/32/Add.2 (Ecuador); A/HRC/9/9/Add.1 (Ethiopia); A/HRC/33/42/Add.2 (Honduras);
A/HRC/4/32/Add.3, A/HRC/15/37/Add.1 and A/HRC/26/21 (Kenya); E/CN.4/2004/80/Add.4
(Mexico); A/HRC/12/34/Add.3, A/HRC/9/9/Add.1 (Nepal); A/HRC/15/37/Add.5 (the Russian
Federation); E/CN.4/2006/78/Add.2 (South Africa); A/HRC/15/37/Add.1 (Uganda);
A/HRC/21/47/Add.1 (the United States of America).
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