Indigenous land management: Decreasing disasters and increasing resilience

About

Within the continental United States, the colonization of Indigenous tribes led to the loss of 99% of previously managed Indigenous land.

The new ‘tribal lands’ – usually undesirable areas tribes were forced onto – are areas that are more at risk of climate change and natural hazards. One study found that Native Americans living in tribal communities now face exposure to increased heat, drought and wildfires.

Indigenous management and conservation of land, both traditional methods and new technologies, are critical to protecting the world’s natural environment from increased degradation due to climate change.

Globally, Indigenous people have stewardship of one-quarter of the world’s land surface spread across 87 countries.

During this webinar, panelists will explore the links between colonization, environmental justice, the landback movement, and natural hazards and extreme weather. They will discuss why it is important for Native Hawaiians to retain access to traditional land after the wildfire disaster in Lahaina this year. And they will explore how funders can support tribal communities to improve land conservation efforts and fight climate change.

At the end of the webinar, grantmakers will:

• Understand how colonization increased the risk of disasters for tribal communities.
• Increase their awareness of how post-disaster gentrification results in land loss for traditional communities.
• Learn the importance of supporting Indigenous land management as part of a holistic approach to equitable disaster recovery.

While primarily aimed at funders, it may also interest emergency managers, government staff, academics, disaster responders and nongovernmental organization staff interested in or working on disasters and other crises.