Ahead of the world\u2019s largest forum for the adoption of conservation policies on protected areas, two United Nations experts on environment and indigenous peoples today highlighted that effective and sustainable conservation requires respect for human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe escalating incidence of killings of environmentalists, among them many indigenous leaders, underlines the urgency that conservationists and indigenous peoples join forces to protect land and biodiversity from external threats, notably lucrative resource exploitation,\u201d the UN Special Rapporteurs on human rights and the environment, John H. Knox, and on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, said in a news release<\/a> issued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR<\/a>).<\/p>\n Organised every four years by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Conservation Congress (WCC) brings together heads of States, high-level government officials, business leaders, representatives from indigenous groups and leading civil society organisations along with scientists and academics. This year\u2019s WCC takes place from 1-10 September in the US state of Hawaii \u2013 both UN experts will attend with the aim of advocating a human rights-based approach to conservation and biodiversity.<\/p>\n \u201cProtection of biodiversity is a human rights issue as a healthy ecosystem is important for the full enjoyment of a wide range of human rights,\u201d Mr. Knox said. \u201cThe loss of biological diversity has negative impacts on a wide range of human rights including the rights to life, food, housing, health, water and sanitation and culture. At the same time, the exercise of human rights, including rights to information, participation, and remedy, can provide useful tools for the effective protection of biodiversity.\u201d<\/p>\n At the WCC, Ms. Tauli-Corpuz will present her just-released 2016 report to the UN General Assembly, in which she explores how conservation affects indigenous people and recommends measures to increase respect for indigenous peoples\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n \u201cThe conservation community, through IUCN resolutions, has taken important steps by recognising the rights of indigenous peoples, however practical implementation and advancement of these rights remains sorely lacking,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI urge conservation organisations and government agencies to move beyond commitments on paper and ensure that indigenous peoples are actively involved in the management of protected areas and that all conservation measures include continuous monitoring of compliance with indigenous peoples\u2019 rights,\u201d Ms. Tauli-Corpuz added.<\/p>\n The expert recently launched a project on biodiversity and human rights, which will culminate in a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2017.<\/p>\n Special Rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n