Indigenous visions for climate justice: the voices and knowledge of communities that are essential in the face of climate change

Professor Maritza Paredes explains why wildfires in the Peruvian Amazon highlight the urgency of climate justice, a central theme of the project Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice, in which she has been working for the past two years. The project involves indigenous communities in the Amazon, the Andes, and Rapa Nui, who seek to integrate into global climate action contributing their ancestral knowledge. Recently, a national workshop was held with indigenous women, state representatives, and NGOs to discuss social justice and community participation.

The doctor Maritza Paredes has been researching the link between natural resources and indigenous communities for years. She graduated in Social Sciences from PUCP, earned her master’s degree at Columbia University, and completed her doctorate at the University of Oxford, dedicating her career to understanding how territory and nature influence Peruvian politics. Her most recent work focuses on climate justice. A struggle that not only seeks to mitigate the effects of climate change but also to amplify the voices of those who have historically been silenced: indigenous communities.

In August, a national workshop was held as part of the project Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice. This collective effort between Peru and Chile aims to integrate the perspectives of indigenous peoples into national and international climate policies. The communities of the Andes, the Peruvian Amazon, and Rapa Nui not only face the consequences of climate change. At the same time, they possess the knowledge to adapt to and mitigate its effects.

The Amazon on fire: A warning of a global environmental crisis

Maritza Paredes, one of the leading voices on environmental issues, offers us a clear perspective on how global warming and various human practices are responsible for wildfires, which affect fragile ecosystems and have an impact on indigenous communities..

“Forest fires are signs of a deeper problem. Just as a high fever is an indicator of a greater issue in the human body, the fires in the Amazon reflect a structural crisis that is affecting both the environment and the communities that depend on it,” she tells us.

“What was once associated only with slash-and-burn agriculture has evolved into an industrialization of forest destruction. (…) The knowledge of communities on how to manage natural resources is key to addressing the fires and building real resilience against climate change.”

Although we now have advanced technology to detect fires in real time, Paredes warns that the administrative response remains inadequate. Accelerated deforestation, the expansion of the agricultural frontier, and illegal economies have weakened the Amazon's ability to withstand the impact of climate change. "What was once associated solely with slash-and-burn agriculture has evolved into an industrialization of forest destruction," she explains.

This scenario highlights the importance of projects like Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice, where the ancestral knowledge of Amazonian communities offers sustainable solutions to mitigate the impact of these disasters. “The knowledge of these communities on how to manage natural resources is key to addressing the fires and, beyond that, to building real resilience against climate change,” emphasizes Dr. Paredes.

Climate justice: the project that amplifies indigenous voices

Recently, the project held a national workshop focused on climate financing and indigenous participation (Photo: Luciana Zunino).

Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice aims to highlight the differentiated impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples. The project, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and developed in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the Diego Portales University,works in communities in San Martín and Arequipa, Peru, as well as in Rapa Nui, Chile. "The goal is to bring to the agenda the voices of those who know the territory best but are rarely heard," Paredes explains. She also adds that "many indigenous communities suffer the most from the impact of climate change, even though they are not the ones generating it."

Thus, the project aims not only to understand the dynamics of climate change but also to influence public policies to integrate the ancestral knowledge of the affected communities. Among its activities are capacity-building workshops and dialogues with decision-makers to ensure greater indigenous participation in the management of climate policies. Dr. Paredes emphasizes that "climate justice can contribute not only to preservation, as there is mediation involved, but it can also make the fight against climate change more effective."

At a roundtable held in August, Ketty Marcelo, president of Onamiap, emphasized that the lack of territorial security limits the ability of indigenous communities to protect their resources and manage their territories. Meanwhile, Nelsith Sangama, a representative of Aidesep, explained that they focus their work on regulations to protect territories and promote a sustainable indigenous economy (Photo: Luciana Zunino).

Paredes highlights the uniqueness of this project as it includes female researchers senior, midlevel and junior. In this format from the IDRC, Dr. Paredes is a researcher senior; Dr. Anke Kaulard, intermediate; and Danitza Gil, junior. The three sociologists from the University have formed an intergenerational team. Danitza Gil tells us that “the process in this project has been challenging and full of learning. In such complex contexts, we constantly question the limits and contributions of academia, which arise from experience. As a University, we can play a more active role that humbly articulates the ongoing efforts.”

“The process in this project has been challenging and full of learning. In such complex contexts, we constantly question the limits and contributions of academia, which arise from experience. As a University, we can play a more active role that humbly articulates the ongoing efforts.”

Indigenous voices from the Amazon to Rapa Nui

The "speaking map" is a visual representation of geographical data, using oral resources from the indigenous communities that inhabit and understand the territory.

The indigenous communities of Peru and Chile have played a crucial role in the protection of their territories. However, as Paredes emphasizes, “a healthy governance of forests and protected natural areas cannot be achieved without implementing policies that take into account the voices of indigenous peoples.” In San Martín, the Kichwa communities are fighting to maintain their lands against agricultural expansion and deforestation. In Rapa Nui, coastal erosion threatens the cultural legacy of the moai.

The project has revealed the importance of ancestral knowledge from the communities, such as "water harvesting". This ancestral technique optimizes rainwater harvesting (for planting certain types of shrubs or for soil treatment). On the other hand, it has produced “speaking maps”. These collaborative tools allow communities to map their natural resources. “Those maps are their voice on paper. Each line, each mark tells a story of resistance and survival,” emphasizes Paredes.

“The maps (speaking) proved to be key tools for political advocacy. The Kichwa federations of Bajo Huallaga used this counter-mapping to engage in dialogue with the State, showcase their vision of the territory, and claim their rights. This process highlighted their territorial knowledge and strengthened their struggle against climate injustices.”

Dr. Anke Kaulard was the one who promoted the innovative or artistic methodologies to create the “speaking maps.” She tells us that “in the experience of ‘making the territory speak,’ the maps emerged as key tools for political advocacy. The Kichwa federations of Bajo Huallaga used this counter-mapping to engage in dialogue with the State, showcase their vision of the territory, and claim their rights. This process highlighted their territorial knowledge and strengthened their struggle against climate injustices.”

Lessons for an inclusive climate justice

At the end of August, the project conducted a national workshop where female indigenous leaders, government representatives, and international organizations discussed the challenges of climate justice. Paredes comments that one of the greatest achievements was the validation of the project's findings. “The importance of local solutions was recognized and how climate justice must include communities in decision-making, not just as observers but as protagonists,” she emphasized.

In the national workshop, they achieved significant validations of the research conducted in Arequipa and San Martín over the past two years. Key findings included the confirmation of territorial and economic security issues, as well as challenges related to forms of participation.

These issues were consolidated into an agenda that, from the University, has been promoted for public discussion. “I believe that we as a University are fulfilling the role of putting forward the discussion agenda and the ideas that should be implemented by the State, by organizations, and by international cooperation,” emphasized Dr. Paredes. Furthermore, another significant achievement was the commitment of international cooperation, such as the Puna Resiliente project from German cooperation, to incorporate these findings into their projects, ensuring effective participation and an approach tailored to local communities.

Click here to see the details of this meeting and testimonies from the participants.

Thus, Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice has taken a strong step towards including indigenous voices in the fight against climate change. In the coming months, the project will see the systematization of this knowledge into public policy documents and new activities aimed at expanding its impact on other communities in Latin America. As Maritza Paredes says, “climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a matter of survival for our communities and our planet.”