Grantee Highlight
An Indigenous Community’s Connection to Land
Feature Image: Credit goes here
Contribution (2021-2023)
$15.6 million in Indigenous rights grants to 564 groups in 73 countries. These grants are investments in the critical role Indigenous Peoples play as stewards of the environment.
While conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity is an important part of environmental and climate work, it is imperative that it does not come at the cost of the livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and other marginalized communities. In recent decades, there have been conservation efforts, from Kenya to Indonesia to Brazil, that have resulted in violence towards and displacement of Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples around the world have longstanding relationships with the lands on which they live, employing centuries of experience from harmonious relationships with their environments to steward lands and ecosystems in ways that are sustainable and just. Disrupting those sacred relationships between Indigenous Peoples and their land can do more harm to an ecosystem and the displaced communities than good, and so it is pivotal that conservation efforts work with Indigenous Peoples, rather than against them.
One such group that has experienced harmful impacts from conservation efforts is the Ogiek Peoples in Kenya. The Ogiek Peoples have lived in Kenya’s Mau Forest for thousands of years, farming the land sustainably and raising livestock. Rather than harm the local ecosystem with these activities, they have lived in harmony with it, acting as a small part in the network of biodiversity and plant life of the region, which has a vital role to play in sustaining many locals lakes and rivers, and which is home to many rare animal species.
This is a caption.
"In some way, this news came as a breath of fresh air, suggesting that it's still possible to work hands-on with people and foster these movements through active participation. In its own right, Yasuní has become a beacon for these battles for a just transition that honors both nature and the rights of Indigenous communities."
Despite the important role the Ogiek have played as stewards of their lands, they have faced many years of evictions and violence at the hands of Kenyan authorities. The authorities claim that the Ogiek are to blame for deforestation in the region, and want to set aside the land for tree-planting (which some have speculated would give Kenya an extra stake in the global carbon market). Most recently, in late 2023, the Ogiek experienced a massive and unexpected eviction that resulted in the displacement of more than 700 people. According to witnesses, Kenya Forest Service rangers came with no warning at dawn and began destroying homes and ordering the eviction of those who lived on the lands. This was in direct violation of a 2017 ruling from the African Court on Human and People’s Rights that ordered the government of Kenya to recognize the Ogiek’s claim to the land and consult them in the management of the land. The latest eviction effort left approximately 1,500 indigenous Ogiek, including women and children, homeless.
Global Greengrants advisory boards and our partners like the Agroecology Fund have given grants to Ogiek communities since at least 2002. The grants have ssupported groups like Ogiek Rural Integral Projects, Program for the Heritage of Ogiek and Mother Earth, and Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program to raise public awareness about the Ogiek struggle for land rights, educate their communities about climate change, and support the infrastructure of the Ogiek’s traditional food systems. These efforts have helped to strengthen the Ogiek’s connection to their land and build their resilience in the face of climate and socioeconomic change.
Following the latest round of evictions in late 2023, Greengrants has supported Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (OPDP) to provide community members who faced displacement with much needed support, including by providing tents and medical supplies
Our historic support of the Ogiek Peoples demonstrates the importance of supporting a community for the long-term and in the face of acute emergencies.