Global indigenism and spaceship earth: Convergence, space, and re-entry friction

Since the 1990s, indigenous issues have come to occupy a consistent place in the Global Conservation Movement. In 2000 the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) published a position paper entitled Indigenous and Traditional People of the World and Ecoregion Conservation, which posited significant overlap between biodiversity and cultural diversity on a global scale. The most recent World Parks Congress (2003) was attended by 120 indigenous representatives. Optimistic observers have heralded these events as a convergence of the Indigenous Peoples’ Movement and Global Environmentalism. More cynical observers argue that it is an opportunistic political move by indigenous leaders and their western supporters to take advantage of conservation, or conversely a move by large conservation NGOs to present a ‘people friendly’ façade to capture larger sums of donor money. This article outlines the global historical and political trends that have brought together conservationists and indigenous peoples in the global arena and discusses the opportunities and problems created by this uneasy convergence.