A new study on Indigenous lands in Panama reinforces the understanding that native people are far better stewards of their properties than governments, according to Happy Eco News. It also bolsters previous claims and appeals toward Indigenous land stewardship in the U.S., specifically Alaska.
By combining two decades of satellite imagery and local community cooperation (a form of "participatory mapping"), the research determined that Indigenous land tenure is superior to public ownership, producing higher quality sustainable environmental management.
The research highlights the night-and-day difference in stewardship, with Indigenous people spiritually and culturally intertwined with the land, something a local or national government simply cannot do.
McGill University researchers worked closely with the Emberá people, gathering knowledge about their activities and the intrinsic nature of their attachment to the forest and the surrounding region.
The cultural values of the Emberá community include spiritual ceremonies conducted in the forest, hunting the land, farming, and leveraging the medicinal value of the plants produced in the area.
Ironically, so-called "protected" areas can't compete with the productive, yet natural use of native lands. The research findings present a forested area that is twice as intact as protected areas.
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The Arctic Extractivism Series of 2024 includes an appeal to leverage Indigenous knowledge of regions throughout Alaska, referring to "nature-based" solutions as the key to environmental progress.
The research conducted in Panama is solid evidence of a solution that's been right in front of everyone for decades. When a native people's cultural identity is intrinsically tied to the land, they tend to take care of it, far better than anyone else.
Though claiming areas as protected is well-intentioned, it doesn't always work out. In the United States, the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service manage a huge share of public lands.
But according to the Outdoor Alliance, recent audits have shown significant maintenance backlogs, amounting to roughly $41 billion, despite the Great American Outdoors Act passed by Congress in 2020.
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Currently, there are no active proposals in Congress to return publicly managed lands to the natives of their respective regions, although it's clear that doing so will result in a cleaner, safer future for everyone.
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