Sustainability
Indigenous people: true guardians of land and oceans
Indigenous People Have Been Protecting Land & Oceans Far Longer Than Governments | GZERO Media
December 30, 2022
If the earth were a company, who'd you pick to run its assets?
For Hindou Ibrahim, co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change, it should be Indigenous people, who have been protecting the land and the oceans far longer than governments. That's what makes them the true guardians of ecosystems.
"We cannot sustain and protect this biodiversity if we do not recognize and respect the rights of indigenous peoples to their land tenure" and access to finance, Ibrahim says in a Global Stage livestream conversation hosted by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.
Corporations have CEOs. The planet, she adds, should appoint Indigenous peoples as "chief ecological officers" so all "the funding can go to us directly. And we can decide it our way."
Watch the full Global Stage livestream conversation "The Road to 2030: Getting Global Goals Back on Track" .
From Your Site Articles
- The Graphic Truth: Has climate change hurt or helped farmers? ›
- We can't fix climate change without protecting biodiversity, says UNFCCC official ›
- Hard Numbers: ECB rate hike, China-India thaw, Indigenous oil drilling pause, Nigerian donkey penises ›
- Racial injustice Down Under: Australia’s Indigenous peoples ›
- Hard Numbers: Indigenous land protests in Brazil, dirty Thai cops, Iran’s new cabinet, Italian euthanasia vote ›
More For You
In this episode of Tools and Weapons, Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with Ed Policy, President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, to discuss how purpose-driven leadership and innovation are shaping the future of one of the world’s most iconic sports franchises. Ed shares how technology and community-focused initiatives, from Titletown Tech to health and safety innovations on the field, are transforming not just the game of football, but the economy and culture of Green Bay itself. He explains how combining strategic vision with investment in local startups is keeping talent in the Midwest and creating opportunities that extend far beyond Lambeau Field.
Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Most Popular
Egyptians head to the polls to elect a new parliament during the first round of the Egyptian parliamentary elections in Giza, Egypt, on November 10, 2025.
Photo by Islam Safwat/NurPhoto
Egyptians are voting this month in parliamentary elections that aren’t expected to change who’s in charge, but could allow President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to rule beyond 2030.
An injured soldier is transferred to a hospital following a clash between Thai and Cambodian troops over a disputed border area in Sisaket Province,Thailand, December 7, 2025.
Royal Thai Army/Handout via REUTERS
Thailand and Cambodia’s ceasefire is on the verge of collapse. Strikes were launched across their disputed border today, following clashes over the weekend that resulted in the death of a Thai soldier.
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.