Guardians under pressure: Southeast Asian Indigenous environmental defenders and civic spaces

 

There is a growing movement worldwide of environmental defenders, including climate defenders, but they are often met with resistance and repression by the authorities and private sector stakeholders. For example, changes in land use associated with climate change adaptation and mitigation have had a range of impacts on the historical use of land and resources by Indigenous peoples. This project aims to understand the effects of these changes and their impact on Indigenous environmental defenders, particularly in the context of increasing violence against them. It investigates lived experiences of Indigenous environmental defenders and their claims to land use in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Using case-based ethnographic approaches in six case studies, this project frames research findings in relation to existing institutional mechanisms to protect environmental defenders. The case studies focus on climate defenders’ groups engaging with mining, biofuels, carbon sequestration, hydropower and haze controls as prominent climate emergency solutions. The findings will contribute to risk-mitigation strategies used by Indigenous climate defender groups in the region. The findings will also strengthen civic space by supporting positive engagement with Indigenous climate defenders