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In celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day, today, we invite you to listen to Isabel Gakran, a member of the Xokleng community, in Brazil, as she presents her community’s conservation efforts.

We met Ms Gakran at the Climate Change COP in Dubai, in December 2023, and was inspired by her passion.

In June 2024, Ms Paula Padrino Vilela, Programme Management Officer at the Global Land Initiative visited Ms Fonseca’s organization, Instituto Zag, in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Instituto Zag is an indigenous organization committed to restoring the endangered araucaria tree. This tree, which holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Xokleng people, is currently at risk of extinction. Its symptomatic of what is happening in many ecosystems globally, especially those located outside the territories held by Indigenous Peoples..

The global population of Indigenous Peoples worldwide, estimated in 2022 at 476 million people, occupies 20 per cent of the earth’s territory, according to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The Xokleng community is deeply connected to their land and its natural resources. During my three-day stay, Ms Padrino Vilela learned firsthand about their process of collecting and cultivating araucaria seedlings.

The seedlings are vital to restore the native forests that have been diminished over the years. The Xokleng also took here to see some of the ancient araucaria trees that still stand tall, a reminder of the rich biodiversity that once thrived in this region.

Ms Padrino Vilela says, “my travels across the indigenous territory were eye-opening. We visited indigenous lands and areas managed by non-indigenous groups.”

The contrast was stark, she notes. “The landscapes historically managed by the Xokleng were lush and vibrant, with diverse native plant species.”

“In the areas controlled by non-indigenous groups, the most common land use was cattle rearing and vast monocultures, including eucalyptus, clearly illustrating the outcomes of different land management practices.”

Although they operate at a small scale, Instituto Zag and the Xokleng community are passionate about and committed to their big dream of moving the araucaria tree from the extinction list.

Ms Padrino Vilela say the “visit reaffirmed the resilience and dedication of the Xokleng people, who are striving to preserve their cultural heritage while contributing to global conservation efforts.”

To celebrate their day, Indigenous Peoples are calling for global action to support the rights for Indigenous People.