Resource information
Indigenous peoples1 must be considered an undeniable stakeholder in a development agenda shaped by such a mandate. Recent estimates indicate that although indigenous peoples make up approximately 5 percent of the world’s total population, they comprise about 15 percent of the global poor.2 The adversities faced by indigenous peoples have grown in the last few decades, but so too have the recognition of and appreciation for their potential contributions to sustainable development and natural resources management. Protecting the livelihood systems and specialized knowledge that are held within these communities will reverse the steady erosion of indigenous cultures but may also bring novel solutions to the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition, poverty and environmental degradation.
