Why isolation of indigenous groups is crucial today?

Why isolation of indigenous groups is crucial today?

Issue: Article discuss importance of isolation of indigenous tribes across world after incident of killing of american christian missionary by sentinelese tribe

Important Facts:

• Indigenous communities’ combined share of the world population is now at just 4.5%
• Indigenous tribes show aggression to outsiders mainly because they associate outsiders with violence and infectious diseases like small pox leading to their depopulation during colonization time
• Colonial excesses had reduced aboriginal population in Andaman islands from more than 25 tribes to just four tribes
• After decolonization period, many independent countries made “no contact policy” for indigenous tribes respecting their right to their ancestral land and maintaining seclusion
• But encroachment continues for forest lands and produces for nations economic growth
• Brazil already lost three-fourth of indigenous tribes due to encroachment of forest areas equivalent to democratic republic of Congo
• Indigenous tribes are facing steep decline in population mainly on account of inbreeding phenomena but outside contact would make it much worse
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous people

Importance of isolation of Indigenous tribes:

• Indigenous tribes have good understanding of and show reverence for nature
• As world environmental sentinels, they safeguards 80%of global biodiversity and plays critical role in climate change adaptation and mitigation
• This can be exemplified by no causalities of 2 isolated tribes in Andaman islands in 2004 Indian ocean tsunami mainly on account of their traditional warning system
• Acts as hub of biological treasure for scientists seeking to reconstruct evolutionary and migration histories

Way Forward:

• Indigenous tribal people are essential element in cultural diversity and ecological harmony and they should be allowed to live peacefully on their ancestral land that they preserved and honored for centuries