Times listed in PST.
Photo above: Gloria from Ripanu, Ecuador, a winner of a 2019 Lush Spring Prize.
We are at a crucial point of inflection. As we look into the future, it looks covered in smoke. Our shared commons - the land, water, air, diversity - are under threat due to destructive, extractive systems which underpin the dominant culture.
To shift away from the total collapse of our life-giving systems, we need to welcome the perspectives of cultures who maintain an unbroken sense of connection to the wild, and despite immense struggle, are stewarding key sources of life on the planet.
This webinar aims to shed some light on the innovative strategies to help resource indigenous communities who are on the frontlines of ecosystems protection and regeneration, ensuring funds get straight to their hands. We will also investigate together what solidarity means in the context of regeneration. We will hear from grassroots groups, as well as from the funding community and engage our participants in the discussion too.
Core inquiries
- What do communities need for continuing vital earth protection work?
- What are some of the innovative ways to fund them and ensure money gets into the hands of those on the edges?
- How do we adapt existing sources of funding to the growing emergency?
- What does solidarity look like at these challenging times?
Why protection and guardianship?
For humanity to be able to arrest disorder and move onto a regenerative path, focusing on protection and guardianship are just as important as restoration and regeneration. The fragility of our critical moment, protection and guardianship are far more important.
When we look at the breadth of nature based solutions and the roles they play in a regenerative future, building soil and regenerating degraded land can play an important part, but that impact is dwarfed by the benefits of protecting healthy ecosystems.
Indigenous communities, as we know, are the heart of that protection.
80% of biodiversity is on indigenous land, together they steward a quarter of the world’s surface, and yet 40% of 212 land and environmental protectors murdered in 2019 were indigenous, and the COVID-19 death rate is disproportionately affecting indigenous communities in places such as Brazil. There is no healthy future for humanity without true solidarity and mutual support between indigenous communities and the rest of society.
Worryingly, so much of the money raised on their behalf never reaches their hands. It is high time we changed that.
Join us on September 24th on Zoom.