Land Back as Climate Strategy: Restoring Ancestral Territories to Power a Just Future

By: Sheila Meshel
Sheila Meshell is an environmental advocate and writer with a background in Indigenous studies and climate justice, focusing on land sovereignty, ecological restoration, and community-led solutions.

When we confront the urgent issue of climate justice, we must not limit our discourse to carbon emissions or green technology. The conversation must also encompass the fundamental question of land—who governs it, who nurtures it, and who has been uprooted from it? Land is not merely soil or territory for Indigenous Peoples and frontline communities worldwide. It is culture, memory, responsibility, and survival. True climate justice can only be achieved by restoring land to its rightful stewards. Indigenous Peoples are essential for a comprehensive solution. Communities have managed and protected these lands for. Their unique knowledge and practices are indispensable for effective environmental management. Ignoring their rights and insights undermines potential solutions and continues a cycle of historical injustice. Involvement is crucial in any meaningful effort to achieve climate justice.

Engaging Indigenous voices respects their sovereignty and fosters a more equitable and prosperous model for environmental stewardship. While it is true that climate justice encompasses a variety of approaches, returning land to the Indigenous is a critical component of a holistic solution. Indigenous communities have been stewards of the land for thousands of years, and their traditional knowledge and practices are vital for effective environmental management and restoration. Ignoring their rights and perspectives diminishes the potential for sustainable solutions and can perpetuate historical injustices. It is a roadmap for ecological survival. It calls for the return of ancestral lands to the First Peoples of this land. Studies consistently show that Indigenous-managed lands have higher biodiversity and lower deforestation rates than lands governed by state or corporate entities. When Indigenous people lead, ecosystems thrive and stay healthy, producing what they use and more. A powerful example is the Wet’suwet’en resistance in British Columbia, Canada. Despite never ceding their territory through treaty, Wet’suwet’en leaders have fought against constructing the Coastal GasLink pipeline through their unceded lands.

This resistance is not just a defense of their sovereignty but a crucial act of climate resistance. The pipeline, which is being built without their consent, threatens the waterways, forests, and wildlife that sustain them. It is a stark reminder of the challenges Indigenous communities face in defending their land rights and the environment. Land rights are climate rights. Indigenous and frontline communities are often the first to feel the effects of environmental destruction and the first to mobilize in defense of life. They are not just on the frontlines of climate impact but also of solutions. Their traditional knowledge and practices, honed over generations, are vital for effective environmental management and restoration. By returning land to these communities, we empower them to continue their crucial role in climate solutions. Justice is not just a concept; it is a call to action. It looks like returning land, respecting Indigenous governance, and listening to the voices that have been silenced for too long. The climate crisis is not just a standalone issue but inseparable from colonization.

Healing the planet requires healing our relationship with land and each other. Land Back is not just a slogan; it is a climate strategy and a moral imperative we cannot ignore.

References:

• United Nations World Wildlife Day: The Wonders of Nature. https://churchillwild.com/world-wildlife-day-the-wonders-of-nature-and-the-importance-of-conservation/