A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution

Abstract

Indigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision-making regarding pollution control. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:324-341.

The importance of Indigenous Peoples’ lands for the conservation of terrestrial mammals

“…Our results showed that 57% of species that had some portion of their habitat on Indigenous Peoples' lands may also be exposed to increased unsustainable human pressure on these lands (i.e., human footprint index ≥3), pointing to an even greater need for Indigenous-led and collaborative conservation efforts. Pressure to exploit Indigenous Peoples' lands and in some cases deny their rights to use and access these areas is alarmingly high all over the world (Fernández-Llamazares et al 2020;Scheidel et al 2020).…”

Creating Synergies between Citizen Science and Indigenous and Local Knowledge

“…For both the potential roles of CS proposed in figure 5 —a science-based data interface and a collaborative pluralistic interface—it should be reiterated that ILK and its potential contributions to scientific or other conservation initiatives needs to be viewed in the context of human rights, claims to traditional estates and IPLC ongoing obligations or commitments to caring for the people-places they call home (Johnson et al 2015 , Kealiikanakaoleohaililani and Giardina 2016 , Kutz and Tomaselli 2019 ). Science (including CS) is a highly relevant and useable tool for contributing to achieving these local goals, but it is only one among the many different tools being employed by IPLC to achieve locally relevant outcomes for their communities (see Fernández-Llamazares et al 2020 ). Continuous dialogue with ILK holders is essential to ensure that ILK historical and contextual complexities are not overlooked in CS initiatives (Reyes-García et al 2019 , Hill et al 2020 ).…”

“…There is a growing body of literature that calls for better recognition of Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) as valuable knowledge in use for research, policy, and ecosystem stewardship (e.g., Mistry and Berardi 2016 , Tengö et al 2017 , Sterling et al 2017 ; for definition of ILK, see the glossary in Eicken et al 2021 [this issue]). Indigenous and local peoples’ in situ knowledge practices have the potential to make significant contributions to meeting contemporary sustainability challenges both locally and globally (Brondizio and Le Tourneau 2016 , Johnson et al 2016 , Mistry and Berardi 2016 , Fernández-Llamazares et al 2020 ).…”

Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder engagement in Ghana’s mining sector: a case study of Newmont Ahafo mines

“…Newmont Ahafo Mines (NAM) is a subsidiary of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) with its parent company Newmont Mining Corporation (NMC) which is based in Denver, USA. NMC is a gold producer with properties in Ghana, Australia, Peru, Indonesia, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico (Boso et al, 2017;Fernández-Llamazares et al, 2020). NGGL is located in two administrative regions of Ghana (Ahafo mines in Asutifi North District Assembly of Ahafo and Akyem operations in Eastern Region of Ghana).…”