At global meetings on protecting the environment—like the UN climate conference, COP28, in December 2023—many participants regularly call for a deep revamp of policies to safeguard the planet’s fragile ecosystems. Indigenous environmental defenders are at the forefront of biodiversity conservation, but the threats they often face for their work are usually ignored by international policymakers. This exacerbates relentless environmental degradation. The experience of Mexico is a case in point as demonstrated by this article, which draws from this author’s reporting trips in Mexico over the past three years.
Climate Change, Pristine Ecosystems, and Mexico’s Importance
Climate change is a potent catalyst for environmental upheaval and poses a grave threat to critical ecosystems. The transition to a global low-carbon economy has intensified the international hunt for critical minerals and raw materials, many of which are located in zones with high levels of biodiversity. Among the pristine areas targeted by government and corporate extractive projects are lands that have been protected by Indigenous communities for decades, or in some cases centuries. Only 5 percent of the world’s population, consisting primarily of Indigenous communities, bears the burden of protecting about 80 percent of global biodiversity, as documented by the World Wildlife Fund.
The erosion of non-Indigenous territories underscores the unsustainability of the prevailing global industrial economic model, which is heavily reliant on resource extraction. As some of the world’s key natural resources, such as sand and potash, dwindle, there is increased attention to the last pristine ecosystems. Yet, many of these have less visibility and protection because their Indigenous communities have historically been marginalized. This combination of factors makes these ecosystems vulnerable to public and private extractive megaprojects that promise to produce millions of dollars in profits for their promoters.
Mexico is on the front line of this global environmental battle, boasting an array of valuable resources, including timber, sand, iron, and gold. Sand, silver, and gold are used in the production of photovoltaic cells for solar panels; iron is used to manufacture electric vehicles. According to one report, a third of Mexico’s mining sites, which extract minerals important for the energy transition, are in areas with high biodiversity. These sites in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountain range, one of the most ecologically rich ecosystems in North America, have harmed the habitats of the jaguar, the golden eagle, and the river otter, among other animals.
Mexico is not only one of the most biodiverse countries in the Americas; it is also among the deadliest for individuals and communities committed to defending biodiversity. Global Witness documented over fifty murders of Mexican environmental defenders in 2021. Mexico was also the world’s most dangerous country for journalists in 2022. As a result, the risks and threats affecting Mexican environmental defenders are severely underreported.
The Invisibility of Indigenous Environmental Defenders
International sustainability policies and environmental norms appear powerless to shield Mexico’s Indigenous environmental defenders from the relentless encroachment of actors—including private enterprises, government officials, and organized criminal networks—eager to exploit their land and its riches. Moreover, human rights violations directly linked to environmental degradation often do not gain wide public attention.
Several historical elements obscure the plight of Mexico’s Indigenous environmental defenders. Deep-rooted racism, comparable to that in Canada and the United States, has dissuaded the mainstream national press from shedding light on these communities. Reporting their stories would necessitate grappling with the inconvenient truths of the violent historical events that accompanied the founding of modern Mexico. These events are absent or marginalized in history textbooks. In addition, the lingering shadow of colonialism has left many Indigenous communities residing in hard-to-reach areas, making it prohibitively expensive and logistically challenging for media outlets to commit substantial resources to cover them.
Yet, supporting these Mexican environmental defenders is crucial for protecting species and ecosystems that are not only essential for their way of life but precious to the entire planet. Protecting the monarch butterfly ensures the conservation of a large bioreserve; protecting turtle nesting sites protects the coastlines; and protecting river otters and endemic species of fish protects the rivers. Mexico’s forests are also among the planet’s carbon sinks, sucking carbon dioxide emissions out of the atmosphere. They are repositories of rare species and active ingredients for pharmaceutical products. They are sources of pure water and are sites of fertile lands necessary for organic food production. Mexico’s environmental defenders also battle against coal and oil extraction and refinery projects, and when they prevent an extractive project, they ensure that carbon stays in the ground.
Local Struggles With Global Significance
Many Mexicans, even among the intellectual elite in the capital, remain oblivious to the fate of six environmental defenders in Paso de la Reina, in the state of Oaxaca, who were killed after trying to safeguard the local river, the Rio Verde, from sand and gravel mining. This neglect is despite the proximity of Paso de la Reina to the tourist hub of Puerto Escondido.
One interviewed environmental defender in Paso de la Reina, who asked to remain anonymous to ensure their safety, told this author they had received numerous threats because of their outspoken stance in the town’s assembly against environmental degradation. They implored me to shed light on the perils confronting them and their community, believing that international exposure would elevate their profile and perhaps shield them from future attacks.
Widespread Lawlessness
Mexico’s peaceful activists often confront violent threats. In Paso de la Reina, the activists primarily employ road blockades as a nonviolent strategy to protect their territory from miners accessing the Rio Verde. Yet, this nonviolent resistance has resulted in the escalation of violence, including the assassination of several activists, some in broad daylight. These killings are displays of unwavering power, signaling that the perpetrators, widely suspected by the community to be influential officials, enjoy implicit “impunity” from local law enforcement bodies. Despite the killings over the past two years and continued threats, a reporting trip in February 2023 confirmed that state and federal security forces did not provide activists with protection.
In the vicinity of Paso de la Reina, local officials wield undisputed authority, and the rule of force prevails, according to one official in the area who insisted on being interviewed anonymously outside his jurisdiction, where he was less likely to be recognized. In other states, such as Michoacán and Puebla, organized crime groups brazenly encroach on Indigenous territories blessed with invaluable forests or rivers. Cartels engaged in illegal logging have occupied towns in the municipality of Zitácuaro in Michoacán, taking possession of homes and allegedly assassinating a local reporter, Antonio Linares.
In the dense forests of Zitácuaro, the monarch butterflies, renowned for their epic annual migration from northern Canada to Michoacán, find refuge. Before guiding me to the section of the forest where the monarch butterflies had last been sighted, a former council member fired several rounds from an AR-15 rifle toward a hill during a patrol along the town’s limits. His explanation was that it was a warning to the cartel’s sicarios (hit men) who live in camps on both sides of the hill, posing a grave threat to the local population.
The locals were discreet when queried about the source of their weapons, reflecting the pervasive problem of arms trafficking in Mexico. The firepower of many cartels surpasses that of local security forces, with some procuring advanced weaponry such as drones, armored vehicles, and antiaircraft guns.
Indigenous Knowledge of the Environment
The importance of the intricate nexus between Indigenous communities and their natural ecosystems cannot be overstated. These communities have served as custodians of their territories for centuries, functioning under a unique Mexican legal framework that grants them “communal” ownership of their lands. Governed by local assemblies that operate through consensus, they conduct elections and manage their affairs independently of the state or federal government. In 2015, 50 percent of Mexico was under communal ownership and governance, the highest proportion of any country in the Americas.
Despite legal safeguards—which were fought for through successive waves of land reforms, most notably by the revolutionaries in the early 1900s and by the Zapatista militias in the state of Chiapas in the late 1990s—enforcement of the law in favor of some of the country’s most impoverished communities remains a formidable challenge. This is exacerbated by the deeply compromised nature of the judiciary, which undermines its capacity to champion the rights of these marginalized communities.
A glimmer of hope surfaced in 2022 when, after two decades of protests, two Indigenous communities in Puebla successfully petitioned Mexico’s Supreme Court of Justice to annul lucrative open-pit gold and silver mining projects awarded to a Canadian company, Almaden Minerals. Global demand for silver is expected to surge for the production of clean energy technologies, such as photovoltaic cells in solar panels and autonomous vehicles. The ruling hinged on the assertion that the Indigenous communities had not been duly consulted as mandated by law during the project’s developmental phase. Fundar, a Mexico City–based think tank, alleged that the company was seeking to induce members of the Indigenous communities to support the mining project with promises of jobs and ”bribes.” The ruling did not, however, entail a comprehensive reassessment of Mexico’s mining law, which prioritizes extraction above the interests and welfare of Indigenous communities.
The Imperative for Global Policymaking
Policymakers advocating the preservation of global ecosystems must confront and counteract the deep-seated prejudices that obstruct the work of the world’s environmental defenders. Indigenous communities are indispensable guardians of ecosystems that are pivotal to the global ecological balance and to mitigation induced by climate change. In Mexico, their role as environmental stewards, epitomized by their past successes in halting mining and mega-projects, is irreplaceable.
It is imperative to recognize that these localized battles—whether fought in courts, on highways, or in open confrontations—have global implications. With the ever-accelerating disappearance of pristine ecosystems, safeguarding Mexico’s Indigenous environmental defenders is an obligation that transcends national borders and benefits communities worldwide. Crafting global policies is an incomplete endeavor when local vulnerabilities persist and are ripe for exploitation without repercussions.
For global policymakers meeting at climate change forums, such as the annual COP climate summits, embracing the substantial contributions of Indigenous environmental defenders to the preservation of vital ecosystems and the mitigation of climate change necessitates a profound paradigm shift in perception. These marginalized groups continue to be underrepresented in government bodies, major corporations, elite educational institutions, and mainstream media. If policymakers wish to protect global ecosystems, they need to transcend deeply entrenched national and international biases and collaborate with Indigenous communities.
Support for Indigenous environmental defenders must be multifaceted. Elevating the visibility of Indigenous communities within the media is crucial for rectifying public perceptions and for enhancing the accountability of those entrusted with protecting Indigenous communities. A brighter media spotlight on Indigenous environmental defenders can decisively contribute to this paradigm shift, strengthening the protective bulwark around these environmental stewards, their communities, and the invaluable ecosystems they defend.
Many prominent corporations like the ones operating in Mexico, some of which only pay lip service to sustainability, are exploiting Indigenous lands for economic purposes. The world’s largest mining companies wield substantial influence over the fate of local communities targeted by their ventures. One way to hold these companies accountable is for stock exchanges to impose stricter regulations, reporting requirements, and sustainability standards. By committing to these measures, stock exchanges can play an integral role in advancing the cause of vulnerable communities in their quest to protect their lands from exploitative corporate interests.
Humanity is standing on the brink of an era that demands profound changes in the approach to environmental protection. With each year, the carbon budget available to the world shrinks and decarbonizing becomes more critical. The industrial world must undergo a metamorphosis in its relationship with nature—from an exploitative, growth-oriented approach to one that recognizes and values nature as an indispensable contributor to the well-being of communities, particularly Indigenous ones.
There is an urgent need for collective action that transcends the limitations of self-centered policymaking and that espouses communal policies and worldviews. This paradigm shift, underpinned by a commitment to equitable and sustainable coexistence with the environment, will ultimately secure a future that is equitable, sustainable, and just for present and future generations.
In this process, Indigenous communities, inadvertently entrusted with the guardianship of the world’s invaluable ecosystems, can be mediators between industrial society and the natural world. However, the prevailing narratives must evolve to cast Indigenous people as sources of wisdom based on their historic preservation of nature.
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