Montreal — Indigenous leaders attending a United Nations conference in Montreal, COP15, say the world won’t succeed in halting biodiversity loss without Indigenous participation.
Jennifer Corpuz, an Indigenous lawyer from the Philippines, says Indigenous people have long been the best guardians of nature but have often been excluded and marginalized by conservation efforts.
She says it’s crucial that any final agreement negotiated at the conference include acknowledgment of Indigenous rights, recognition of traditional territory in conservation targets and direct access to funding to protect biodiversity.
Get breaking National news
READ MORE: COP15: Latest demonstration sees hundreds gather in Montreal city square
Ronald Brazeau, the interim director of natural resources for the Lac-Simon Algonquin community in Quebec, says he feels decision-makers at the conference still aren’t listening to the voices of Indigenous people.
He says his community in western Quebec is witnessing the effects of biodiversity loss and climate change, and he doesn’t feel governments are going far enough when it comes to conservation, even in protected places.
- Toronto police seek suspect in possible hate-motivated assault with Orbeez-type gun
- Canadians may be impacted as Spirit Airlines shuts down operations ‘effective immediately’
- Carney says his stance on Iran war shifted as Trump’s goals ‘evolved’
- Carney’s trip to Armenia happening as Ottawa’s foreign policy aims shift, expert says
Brazeau says that while Indigenous groups all over the world have different interests and realities, they’re united by a common desire to protect their lands.
-
![]()
What does COP15 look like from inside the Montreal’s Palais des Congrès -
![]()
COP15 wraps up week 1 -
![]()
Elected officials call on feds to protect biodiversity in Montreal -
![]()
COP15 protesters -
![]()
COP15: Trudeau commits $800 million to Indigenous-led conservation projects -
![]()
Canada rejects calls to protect Technoparc near Trudeau airport -
![]()
Protesters in Montreal call COP15 waste of time, money -
![]()
COP15 kicking off in Montreal -
![]()
COP15 summit kicks off in Montreal -
![]()
‘We are waging war’: COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal hears stark warning -
![]()
‘Humanity has become a weapon of mass extinction’: UN secretary-general cautions during COP15 opening -
![]()
COP15: United Nations conference on biodiversity underway in Montreal -
![]()
COP15: Trudeau warns ‘the clock is ticking’ during biodiversity conference opening ceremony
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.