Latin America and the Caribbean: Biodiversity and the Fight for Environmental Justice

Introduction

The Latin American and the Caribbean region is the most biologically diverse in the world, hosting several of the megadiverse countries. However, it is also the region with the fastest biodiversity decline.  Over the past 50 years, it has lost 95 percent of its wildlife population. In 2024, South America experienced record-breaking fires. The World Resources Institute, a global research nonprofit, notes that fires in the Amazon region are now twice as frequent as 20 years ago. Fires in humid tropical forests like the Amazon are very rare and almost entirely human-caused.

Forests in the Amazon are cleared with fire for ranches and farms. The beef industry alone accounts for more than two-thirds of the deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. Deforestation impacts weather patterns negatively, which results in larger and more severe droughts that make forests more vulnerable to fires. When forests burn, biodiversity is at risk, and carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions contribute to climate change, making forests more susceptible to wildfires by increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns.

COP16 in Colombia: A Historic Summit for People at the Frontline of Environmental Justice

Colombia was the host of the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) between October 21 and November 1, 2024. Colombia is not only the third most biodiverse country in the world but also the deadliest country for land and environmental defenders. Just in 2023, Global Witness, an international NGO, recorded 79 murders in Colombia – 40 percent of the 196 global fatalities. Among those killed, 31 were Indigenous Peoples, and 6 were Afro-descendant people. The recorded annual murder cases in Colombia in 2023 set a record for any single country and illustrate the dire situation of human rights defenders in that country. Since Global Witness started documenting the killings of environmental and land defenders around the world in 2012, Colombia has consistently landed at the top of the list. Now, Colombia has the highest number of documented killings for any single country between 2012 and 2023, adding up to 461 murdered defenders in just over a decade.

Colombia is not an exception in Latin America. In 2023 alone, Latin America accounted for 85 percent of the global killings of land and environmental defenders. Between 2012 and 2023, 8 Latin American countries ranked among the top 10 deadliest countries for defenders. This underscores the urgent need for the full ratification, implementation, and monitoring of the Escazu Agreement - a legally binding regional instrument that includes an article for the protection of environmental human rights defenders. To date, 17 countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region have ratified the agreement. However, Brazil, the world’s most biodiverse country and a significant regional player, has yet to ratify it. Notably, Brazil ranks second only to Colombia, with 401 documented killings of land and environmental defenders between 2012 and 2023. Brazil is set to host COP30 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2025, which will take place in the city of Belém do Pará, marking the first time a COP will be held in the Amazon.

One of the most significant outcomes of COP16 was the establishment of a Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j). The Convention on Biological Diversity recognizes the dependency of Indigenous Peoples and local communities on biological diversity and their unique role as stewards of nature. This recognition is laid down in the preamble and provisions. Under Article 8(j), Parties to the convention shall respect and preserve knowledge, innovations and practices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities related to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

For the first time, the role of Afro-descendant communities in biodiversity conservation was formally recognized. Previously, Afro-descendants were not classified as "Indigenous peoples" or "local communities" under the CBD, despite their longstanding efforts for recognition. This milestone, championed by Colombia and Brazil, is particularly significant for the region. A study of the territorial presence of Afro-descendant People in 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean found that 100 percent of Afro-descendant territories in Belize, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama are in biodiversity hotspots. Colombia has an overlap of 96 percent, while Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, and Suriname exhibit overlaps of less than 50 percent.

The Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) is the first permanent body of a UN environmental convention dedicated to Indigenous, Afro-descendants, and local community representatives. It will provide a platform to advance their full and effective participation in all convention processes. Although the Subsidiary Body’s structure and operation details will be addressed before COP17, a few details are already disclosed. The two co-chairs will be elected every two years. Representatives of Indigenous and local communities will nominate one chair, while the Parties to the convention will select the other. The Parties also adopted a new Program of Work on Article 8(j), which will follow a human rights-based approach. The document encourages Parties to provide direct access to funding for Indigenous and local communities for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Conclusion

Environmental and land defenders from Latin America have faced stigmatization, criminalization, and violence due to the interest of State and non-State actors in extractive industries, conservation, and climate action. Given that 36 percent of the world’s last standing intact forests are on Indigenous lands and deforestation is inextricably linked to human rights violations, implementing the CBD following a human rights-based approach could mark a turning point in securing their protection and meaningful participation in biodiversity conservation.

Although the establishment of the Permanent Subsidiary Body on Article 8(j) elevates the role of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant people, and local communities in implementing the CBD internationally and nationally, it remains to be seen whether this progress will influence their recognition in COP30 in Brazil.

Image Credits: Evaristo Sa/AFP/Getty Images | Edited by GorStra Team