103
In 2011, representatives of the communities and supporting organization Forest Peoples Programme
participated in an expert meeting on Article 10 with a focus on 10(c). They provided recommendations
and guidance on a range of topics related to customary sustainable use, diverse local economies, and
legislation and land and resource rights. They also attended the 7th meeting of the Working Group on
Article 8(j), where they participated actively in the negotiations and hosted a side event. Their
comprehensive approach contributed to the Parties’ agreement to develop a Plan of Action on
customary sustainable use.
The Wapichan, one of the Indigenous communities involved in the project, recently announced a
proposal to conserve 1.4 million hectares of forest in their ancestral lands in south Guyana. This
momentous proposal is based on over ten years of participatory mapping, land use planning, intercommunity agreements, and community consultations and workshops, all of which are part of a longstanding effort to gain recognition of their customary land and resource rights. The Wapichan people
are now using their comprehensive territorial land use plan and digital map as the basis for engaging
with government officials in order secure their customary territory and livelihoods and realize
international rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Resources on Customary Sustainable Use of Biodiversity
Synthesis Paper (2011)
“Examples, challenges, community initiatives, and recommendations
relating to CBD Article 10(c)”
Guyana Case Study (2006)
“Our territory, our custom: Customary use of biological resources and
related traditional practices within Wapichan Territory in Guyana”
FPP
Newsletter Article “Wapichan people in Guyana present territorial map and community
(2012)
proposals to save ancestral forests”
Article 10(c) Expert Meeting “Report of the Meeting on Article 10 with A Focus on Article 10(c) As A
Report (2011)
Major Component of the Programme of Work on Article 8(j) and Related
Provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity”
Table 20: Key intergovernmental and international processes relevant to Indigenous peoples, local communities,
and their territories and areas
Forum
UN Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues
Expert Mechanism on the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples
UN Convention on Biological
Diversity
UN Framework Convention
on Climate Change
UN Convention to Combat
Desertification
Key Processes and Meetings
Session (annual)
Meeting (annual)
Conference of the Parties (biennial)
Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions
Working Group on Protected Areas
Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
Working Group on the Review of Implementation
Conference of the Parties (annual)
Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action
Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments under the Kyoto
Protocol
Conference of the Parties (biennial)