FPIC ? Familiar term ? So yes - read on, on indigenous peoples’ rights, on how carbon credit projects need to take into account the same and more.
Remember the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project ? Implemented by Wildlife Works and aimed to prevent deforestation and degradation between Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks which is a wildlife corridor, the project gained more limelight as a cautionary tale about the importance of FPIC. Another very early example would be that of Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project in Bolivia. Launched in 1997, it spanned over 1.5 million hectares of forest and was backed by The Nature Conservancy, the Bolivian government and energy companies including BP. The project involved the expansion of the concerned national Park, which actively restricted access to forested areas traditionally used by indigenous people belonging to the Chiquitano, Guarasug’we, and Ayoreo groups. Indigenous communities were displaced and their customary land rights curtailed. Free, Prior and Informed Consent - an international law element which is prime important for carbon credit projects. Rooted in human rights and international law, FPIC ensures that communities, especially the Indigenous people make informed decisions about projects involving their land. At LongStraw Carbon, we value indigenous communities’ rights and customs and it forms an essential factor of determination of the quality of our carbon credits. After all, the concept of “livelihood environmentalism” as opposed to “full-stomach environmentalism” stems from India, challenging the canons of orthodox Western social science. #FPIC #indigenous #carboncredits #carbonoffset #humanrights