Introduction 11 October 2021 marked an important day for the indigenous Sámi in Norway: the Norwegian Supreme Court ruled that traditional reindeer grazing grounds on the Fosen Peninsula in Central Norway cannot be used as a site for wind turbines, operated by Fosen Vind. This means that two large wind farms, Roan and Storheia, may …
Pledge versus practice: India’s expanding coal industry, biodiversity and indigenous communities
Introduction In early October 2021 India's minister for power, new and renewable energy, R.K. Singh, informed the public that the current demand for power in his country has exceeded the usual post-monsoon demand from earlier years (here). Several new outlets have picked up on this problem since this would lead to potential power outages in …
On the feasibility of an automated mechanism to list species on the CITES Appendices
Introduction In February 2019 Frank & Wilcove published a short paper in Science in which they argued that due to long delays in the processes of listing species on Appendix I and II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) effective conservation cannot be guaranteed (here). They …
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants: An Overview
(This is a translated version of a forthcoming paper in Natur & Recht) ABSTRACT. On 17 December 2018 the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNROP). This paper traces the history of the Declaration and analyses the rights enshrined in it. It is argued …
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The ’30 x 30′ target, indigenous peoples and local communities
Introduction (If you are familiar with the 30 x 30 target, you can skip the Introduction) The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is probably the most important international conservation regime in the world. It currently holds a membership of 196 states with only the Holy Sea and the United States not having signed nor ratified …
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CITES – While there is movement, there is inertia in including indigenous youth
When the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted in March 1973, the discourse on including indigenous peoples into the decision-making processes was just emerging. Now, almost 50 years later, CITES has become a fierce battleground of competing interests, similar, yet not quite as bad, as in …
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Indigenous youth is not present in the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
The ICRW was opened for signature on 3 December 1946 and entered into force in November 1948. Then also the IWC took up its work. While originally having a membership of 15, currently the IWC counts 88 states as members with Japan having left the organisation in July 2019. Over the last decades, the IWC …
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