Indigenous people make up only 6% of the world’s population but manage over a quarter of the world’s land surface. These groups, descended from original occupants of a geographical place and identifying as culturally distinct, possess knowledge about adapting to social and environmental change. Yet their perspectives are rarely included when it comes to planning for a future affected by climate change or biodiversity loss. Researcher Julia van Velden was part of a team of scholars who looked at how Indigenous knowledge could create a shared understanding of a better future for our planet. The Conversation Africa spoke to her and her co-authors about Indigenous futures thinking. Indigenous people make up only 6% of the world’s population but manage over a quarter of the world’s land surface. These groups, descended from original occupants of a geographical place and identifying as culturally distinct, possess knowledge about adapting to social and environmental change. Yet their perspectives are rarely included when it comes to planning for a future affected by climate change or biodiversity loss. Researcher Julia van Velden was part of a team of scholars who looked at how Indigenous knowledge could create a shared understanding of a better future for our planet. The Conversation Africa spoke to her and her co-authors about Indigenous futures thinking. Environment Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories
Indigenous futures thinking: Four approaches to imagining a better world
