The 9th of August each year marks International Day of Indigenous Peoples. There is a saying widely attributed to Native Americans: “We do not inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. ” Indigenous peoples have long been the caretakers of the land. Pope Francis said of them: “Indigenous peoples are a cry of hope. They remind us that human beings have a shared responsibility in the care of the ‘common home’. … The earth suffers and indigenous peoples know of the dialogue with the earth, they know what it means to listen to the earth, to see the earth, to touch the earth. They know the art of living well in harmony with the earth”.
Indigenous Peoples manage around 25% of the world’s land, and provide environmental stewardship to at least 36% of the world’s intact forests. This short video from the UN Development Programme highlights some of the ecological knowledge that indigenous peoples bring: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=493797493689283