- The report was prepared by the UK non-profit Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) in response to a request for information on the status of traditional occupations related to conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- Traditional occupations are defined as those “where knowledge of traditional culture and practices may influence the way the work is performed,” FPP explained in the report.
- Some 50 percent of the experts surveyed by FPP reported that traditional occupations had declined in their communities over the past decade, while just 31 percent said there has been an increase over the past 10 years.
According to a new report, traditional occupations are on the decline in half of indigenous and local forest communities. But there is also reason to believe that trend might soon be reversed.
The report was prepared by the UK non-profit Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) in response to a request for information on the status of traditional occupations related to conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Status and trends in the practice of traditional occupations is one of the measures of progress agreed to by parties to the CBD in meeting the 2020 Biodiversity Targets for traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use.
Traditional occupations are defined as those “where knowledge of traditional culture and practices may influence the way the work is performed,” FPP explained in the report. While there are probably just as many “traditional occupations” as there are indigenous cultures throughout the world, there are also a number of consistencies across cultures.
To wit, FPP grouped traditional occupations into several categories, such as “Hunting, fishing and collecting wood and gathering non-timber forest products;” “Agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock;” “Traditional medicine;” and “Preparing and storing of traditional foods/dishes.”
FPP’s report contains what the group called a “rapid assessment,” as it provides “sample insights” from 17 experts on the ground in 13 countries. Some 50 percent of those experts reported that traditional occupations had declined in their communities over the past decade, while just 31 percent said there has been an increase over the past 10 years.
“From the survey, it was clear that, fortunately, many traditional occupations are still practiced, although a substantial number have declined in practice,” the researchers wrote in the report. “Some traditional occupations have already disappeared or are on the brink of disappearing, or have changed completely.”
There’s reason to hope the ratio of communities seeing traditional occupations decline versus those where they are increasing could flip soon, however. Formal or informal educational activities to promote and enhance traditional knowledge and skills, particularly among youth, are present in nearly all of the communities FPP studied. “A clear trend among the survey responses was the revival of interest in traditional knowledge and skills,” FPP reported.
The respondents to FPP’s survey were also asked about threats to traditional occupations and the reasons people abandon those jobs or leave the community altogether. Threats identified by these experts include pressure from the mainstream or dominant culture to assimilate and “modernize;” land conflicts, land tenure insecurity, and deterioration of areas where traditional occupations are practiced; and opposing government policies or lack of government support.
In fact, FPP’s researchers discovered several laws and regulations adopted by the governments of a number of countries that aim to restrict or prohibit traditional occupations. Of the respondents to the survey, 69 percent confirmed the existence of such laws or regulations in their countries.
The researchers add that their hope is the small dataset they’ve put together will represent a starting point for a broader investigation into the status and trends of traditional occupations. “We also hope that the responses we received can be utilised as part of the data collected for the larger investigation and research we would recommend.”
An “enabling and supportive environment” for traditional occupations of indigenous peoples and local communities by both governments and mainstream society is crucial if traditional occupations are to continue to exist and develop, the researchers concluded.
“Parties to the CBD should make efforts to create this enabling environment and stimulate occupations as our research has shown that, while some countries do attempt to create these conditions, for the majority of the countries and communities who contributed to the survey, this is not yet the case.”
