From Conservation International.

• Author: Seligmann, Peter
• Position: FROM READERS - Letter to the Editor

"A Challenge to Conservationists" (World Watch, November/December 2004) offered an interpretation of the relationship between indigenous peoples and conservationists who work to save biodiversity around the world. The article raised several important issues regarding those relationships, and we agree that those topics deserve serious attention. Over the past several years, these matters have increasingly occupied more of our time and resources, and our commitment to building long-lasting and productive relationships with indigenous communities has never been stronger.

Therefore, we were disappointed by both the content and tone of the article, which was fraught with errors and unsubstantiated assertions. Instead of shedding light on such a critical issue, we are concerned that the article drives a wedge between conservationists and indigenous people, thereby distracting attention from what really matters: protecting and maintaining biodiversity, and the basic ecological processes and ecosystem services that are the foundations for sustainable livelihoods, indigenous cultures, and economic development.

We would like to provide your readers with accurate information regarding our organization's values, policies, and track record. Since its founding, CI has believed that conservation must benefit all people who live in areas of high priority for biodiversity conservation, and there are no more meaningful places to demonstrate this than the homelands of indigenous and traditional peoples. Recognizing this, one of our five core organizational goals over the next five years is to continue increasing our partnerships with and the support of indigenous peoples.

CI was among the first large environmental organizations to adopt an indigenous peoples policy in 1996, and we updated that policy last year. We regularly consult with indigenous leaders on its implementation. Our work with indigenous communities has produced important results. For example, in 1992 we began helping Brazil's Kayapo Indians transition from uncontrolled logging to economically and ecologically sustainable forms of income generation for their emerging development needs, including protection of their 28-million-acre reservation territory from ranching and other illegal invasions. In Ghana, we teamed up with the indigenous communities of the Kakum National Park to build a canopy walkway that is today one of West Africa's most popular tourism destinations. CI has also worked...