"What we are asking from the multinationals is that they not buy commodities that cause deforestation and conflict and that are produced on indigenous lands. “The absence of secure legal rights leaves communities and their forests vulnerable.”“For us, climate change is not abstract,” said Sucre Romero. “Just in my small community…we are [now] struggling to produce certain foods because of the changing climate. Indigenous lands experience a rate of tree cover loss less than half of what other lands experience, according to the World Resources Institute’s Global Forest Watch monitoring program; where indigenous rights are recognized, the difference is even greater. But too often, global companies enter indigenous lands and take their products and traditional knowledge without compensation.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 17, 2020 18:56 UTC