A/77/238 19. The placing of indigenous lands under the control of government conservation authorities has often illustrated the lack of capacity and political will to effectively protect the areas and has left such lands exposed to destructive incursions, the activities of extractive industries, illegal logging, agribusiness expansion, tourism and large-scale infrastructure development. 20. In May 2022, the Special Rapporteur organized consultations bringing together indigenous representatives from different regions to discuss the impact of protected areas on indigenous peoples’ rights. Participants revealed that the exclusionary approach to protecting biodiversity known as “fortress conserv ation” continued to prevail and had led to violent evictions, militarized violence and the dispossession of the lands of indigenous peoples, who are the best stewards of nature. According to participants, indigenous peoples are, in most cases, not consulte d when protected areas are planned and do not participate in the management of, or derive benefits from, State conservation projects. They are often forced to relocate to temporary resettlement camps without access to essential services. Participants highl ighted that the eviction of indigenous peoples from protected areas or the denial of their access thereto leads to the loss of irreplaceable lands, sacred places and resources and of the transmission of knowledge systems, culture, language, identity and li velihoods. Such violations are all compounded by the threat of climate change. 21. Imposed conservation disregards and undermines the complex system of knowledge and conservation practised by indigenous peoples on their lands. Indigenous peoples and their organizations continue to raise concerns about the fact that protected areas are often conceptualized without consideration of indigenous world views or the system of management, control and protection of their traditional lands that has effectively protected nature for generations. 22. Protected areas are often created without consulting or obtaining the free, prior and informed consent of indigenous peoples, who are then excluded from the administration and management of their traditional territories and are often left without adequate compensation. Indigenous peoples are, in some cases, required to purchase permits to enter their territories and face severe restrictions on their subsistence livelihood activities, such as hunting, fishing or grazing. 23. Incorporating indigenous lands into protected areas in this manner takes management and control away from indigenous peoples, and allows States to define the rules, administration and use of those lands, often under the influence of financially powerful international conservation organizations. Indigenous peoples have expressed the concern that Western conceptions of land management are devoid of any meaningful human connections with the land. In many parts of the world, indigenous peoples view the creation of protected areas as a form of colonization and seek to “decolonize conservation”. Meanwhile, in some countries with greater recognition of indigenous land rights, indigenous peoples are using protected areas status to defend their territories against extractive activities. 8 24. The persistent practice of forced evictions for conservation purposes is particularly worrying in Africa. In the United Republic of Tanzania, the Maasai have a long history of being violently evicted from their lands, and the Go vernment has plans to displace a further 150,000 Maasai from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Loliondo Division of Ngorongoro District. In June 2022, the Special Rapporteur publicly called for the planned evictions to be halted and consultations with the Maasai to be initiated, and urged the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to reiterate to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania that plans __________________ 8 8/20 Submission by the Forest Peoples Programme to the Special Rapporteur. 22-11289