A/79/160
farming. The sea nomads have urged the State to recategorize the natural reserve to
restrict commercial activities, these requests have not been heeded. 119
52. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed
concern for the Tsimane Indigenous Peoples of the Plurinational State of Bolivia,
whose cultural and economic survival is at risk due to the expansion of economic
activities in their territories. Those activities are proceeding despite the establishment
of comprehensive protection zones to safeguard them. 120
53. In Sweden, the largest producer of iron ore in Europe, mining projects are
expanding despite concerns expressed by the Special Rapporteur. 121 The Sami lost
their appeal in the contested Gallok mine case at the Supreme Administrative Court
on 25 June 2024.
54. The Government of India has developed two megaprojects – the “Holistic
Development of Great Nicobar Island” and the “Sustainable Development of Little
Andaman Island - Vision Document”, which will threaten the survival of the Shompen
and Sentinelese hunter-gatherers living in voluntary isolation. 122
3.
Tourism
55. In Jordan, tourism sites frequently exploit, dispossess and displace Bedouin
herders, while using their cultural heritage for commercial gain. Petra, home to the
Bedouin for approximately 500 years, is Jordan’s most visited tourist site. Following
its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Bedouin were removed from
the area and voluntarily resettled; however, replacement housing was inadequate,
without space for animals, and the compensation was insufficient to replace lost
livelihoods. 123
56. In Brazil, Guaraní Indigenous Peoples are losing access to their lands owing to
the construction of the Maraey luxury resort in a coastal wetland biological reserve.
The Guaraní word “Maraey” was appropriated for commercial use without their
permission. The Guaraní fear for their lives, as waters are polluted by construction,
despite two rulings of the Supreme Court to protect their lands. 124
57. Many sea people constantly move from place to place in boats, living almost
entirely on the water and relying on fishing for their livelihoods. The coral reefs and
mangroves frequented by sea people are increasingly the target of commercial
activities and tourism projects that are developed without sufficient waste
management systems, affecting biodiversity and fish stocks and closing off access to
critical marine areas. Indigenous knowledge of the sea is being exploited for
commercial purposes, and subsistence fishers are pressured to gather resources for
distant consumers. This has led to the Moken being perceived as the source of coastal
degradation, especially where protected areas have been created. 125 Some seafaring
people whose livelihoods have been eroded are gradually settling on coasts and small
islands, and developing land-based livelihoods. On land, they encounter
discrimination, cultural differences, social problems and difficulty in accessing
resources.
__________________
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
24-13045
Alan Friedlander and others, Kawésqar: Conocimiento Tradicional, Biodiversidad y
Recomendaciones de Conservación. Informe de la Expedición National Geographic Pristine Seas y
los Pueblos Kawésqar y Yagán (2021).
CERD/C/BOL/CO/21-24, para. 33.
Communication No. SWE 2/2022.
Communication CERD/EWUAP/106thsession/2022/MJ/CS/KS.
Northumberland University submission.
Grenoble Management School submission.
Sea Nomads Contact Group submission.
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