Author: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, IUCN Inter-Commission Task Force on Indigenous Peoples
Title: Indigenous Peoples and Sustainability : Cases and Action
Description: Gland / Utrecht, IUCN / International Books. orig.wrappers. 23x15cm, 364 pp. PAPERBACK.. Minor rubbing. VG. ¶ If this book has but one thing to communicate, it would be that financial,economic and political support for projects conceived, led, and implemented by indigenous peoples must be the most important priority for effective change. Indigenous peoples are among the best organized and most articulate groups in defence of local community rights and concerns. Their holistic views that link environmental sustainability directly with individual health and community well-being, communicate that it is not just the diversity of life that provides the cornerstone for sustainability - but also the knowledge of that diversity enshrined in the laws, sciences, religions, rituals and ceremonies of human societies. Traditional knowledge is critical to the development of alternative strategies for sustainability. The knowledge can't be bought; it is integral to indigenous cultures. Indigenous peoples can guarantee conservation if other cultures can guarantee their rights. This text provides case studies in order to illustrate how indigenous peoples - through integration of their knowledge with practical strategies for conservation - have historically been and are still successful in attaining sustainability. The road to sustainability is not an unknown course into a cevernous future. Indigenous peoples presently live in the most ecologically diverse regions and manage about one fifth of the Earth' s surface. They practice the fundamental principles of managing their land and resources for the spiritual health of the Earth and for the future

Keywords: Rural Development, Indigenous Peoples, Ethnobiology, Sustainability, Conservation, Environment, Land Use, ,