World Indigenous Tourism Forum Indigenous Peoples World Indigenous Tourism Forum Lucerne, Switzerland Friday, October 12, 2012

Indigenous Peoples Original inhabitants of a region Shared ancestry Collective social organization Distinct language, culture, spiritual beliefs

Indigenous Peoples Inhabit ancestral lands and territories Intimate knowledge of natural world Minority population in a colonized state (or not) Majority population with tribal sub-groups

Indigenous Peoples and Diversity More than 370 million Indigenous people Spread across 70 countries

Indigenous Peoples and Diversity Indigenous peoples are 5% of the world population They represent 80% of the world’s cultural diversity

Indigenous Peoples and Diversity Indigenous peoples occupy 20% of the world’s land surface Their ancestral lands contain 80% of the worlds biodiversity

Indigenous Peoples and Diversity Indigenous peoples are the creators and conservers of biodiversity The world’s remaining forests or 200 global eco-regions with the highest biodiversity are linked with surviving Indigenous groups in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania Indigenous Peoples Diversity Network, 1997

Indigenous Peoples Are: An integral part of Mother Earth’s web of life As with Mother Earth, in frequent distress today Vulnerable to external disturbances

Indigenous Peoples Are: Suffering loss of language and culture Most often marginalized and oppressed Losing ancestral lands and territories Assimilating into dominant cultures