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The Forest Peoples Programme |
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................ 2
INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 3
Methodology .................................................................... 4
What is a forest?............................................................... 4
Who are indigenous peoples? ............................................... 5
Who are forest peoples? ..................................................... 7
TABLE A: Forest peoples¡¦ numbers by region ......................... 8
Forest peoples¡¦ numbers by type of dependence .................... 8
TABLE B(1) ....................................................................... 8
TABLE B(2) ....................................................................... 8
TABLE C: Indigenous peoples and forest peoples by country ....... 9
SOURCES CITED ................................................................ 17
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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| Indigenous Batin Sembilan family, Sumatra, Indonesia/Sophie Chao |
Forests cover almost one third of the world's land area and nearly all are inhabited by indigenous and rural communities who have customary rights to their forests and have developed ways of life and traditional knowledge that are attuned to their forest environments. These communities have been managing the environment through their own systems based on traditional knowledge, practices, rules and beliefs for generations ("customary use").
Yet in many countries forest peoples do not have secure tenure over these areas and are denied access and use of their territories because of inadequate government policies, extractive industries' activities, or conservation initiatives, such as protected areas. At the same time, many indigenous territories are increasingly threatened by unsustainable activities such as logging, mining, cattle ranching and plantations. Where forest-dwelling communities lack legal recognition and where their rights are not protected by national laws, their land is vulnerable to land grabbers and their capacity to defend and sustain their forests and customary livelihoods in the face of corporate and government interests is seriously compromised.
By providing estimated figures for indigenous and forest peoples' populations in countries and regions across the globe, this report seeks to raise awareness of the existence of peoples who primarily depend on forests for their livelihoods, and to enhance their visibility as key actors and rights-holders in the management and use of forests and forest resources. These figures may serve as a useful reference in advocacy for the recognition of forest peoples' legal and human rights.
The process of compiling this report, has, in itself, also served an important purpose: to highlight the lack of accurate and up-to-date data on indigenous peoples and forest peoples, and to point out the critical need for further research in this direction. As FPP has previously noted, "the lack of existing reliable information about forest-dependent peoples, their numbers, livelihoods and circumstances is itself a symptom of their marginalisation in forest policy making'.1 Moreover, these figures have been compiled in the light of our awareness of unclear and contested definitions of 'indigenous peoples' and 'forest peoples."2
Forest Peoples Programme wishes to emphasise that the estimates provided in this report are by no means conclusive or authoritative and should be used as indicative estimates only. In seeking to address an important gap in the literature on forest peoples worldwide, this report should therefore be considered as a 'work in progress' to which any further contributions and comments are most welcome.
1 Colchester et al 2006 xi
2 For a critical review of the challenges in determining forest peoples¡¦ numbers, see also Fisher et al 1997 and SSC 2000.
2
INTRODUCTION
Very few comprehensive studies on forest peoples' numbers have been carried out to date. A report on forest dependent people by the Statistical Services Centre (SSC) of the University of Reading, funded by DfID's Forestry Research Programme in 20003 found that most statistics available on forest people numbers were more or less educated "guesstimates". The SSC study concluded that there are "no reliable regional or international sources of data on forest dependent people."
Global estimates of forest peoples range from 1 million to 250 million,4 to 500 million,5 to over 1 billion6 The World Bank estimates that about 240 million people live in predominantly forested ecosystems7 and that roughly a quarter of the world¡¦s poor and 90% of the poorest depend substantially on forests for their livelihoods.8 Many of the "very poor" are found among indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples, landless communities living in or adjacent to forests, and landless forest workers.
According to the World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development,
350 million of the world's poorest people depend almost entirely for their subsistence and survival on forests. A further 1 billion poor people - about 20% of the world's population - depend on remnant woodlands, on homestead tree gardens, and on agro-forestry systems for their essential fuel wood, food and fodder needs. [¡K] Indigenous peoples and other communities living in forests and depending on them for subsistence number some 60 million people worldwide.9
3 SSC 2000
4 Pimentel et al 1997
5 Lynch & Talbott 1995
6 Krishnaswamy & Hanson 1999
7 World Bank 2003
8 World Bank 2001
9 Krishnaswamy A & A Hanson 1999:14-15
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INDICATIVE FIGURES
Sources: World Bank 2002; World Bank 2004; World Bank 2008; World Bank 2009a; Rainforest Foundation (n.d.); World Rainforest Movement 2005. |
3
Methodology
The figures in this report have been gathered from a wide range of sources, including publications from various UN bodies (FAO, ILO, UNEP, ECOSOC), national governments, national and local non-governmental organisations/indigenous peoples' organisations, human rights and environmental institutions, regional human rights bodies and academic works.
As much of the world¡¦s remaining natural forests tend to be concentrated in areas which have been and still are traditionally used and occupied by indigenous peoples,10 estimated populations of indigenous peoples are tabulated alongside numbers of forest peoples. The term ¡¥forest peoples¡¦ is used in this report to refer to peoples who traditionally live in forests and depend on them primarily and directly for their livelihoods.
The range of estimates found for each figure has been included in the table to reflect their variation depending on the source used. The symbol . preceding a figure indicates that the figure is known to be a particularly approximate figure. The symbol + indicates that the figure is highly likely to be greater than cited. Data that was either not found or not applicable is marked n.d., with additional information footnoted where necessary. An example of not applicable data is the number of forest people in Egypt, which only has 0.1% forest cover. Percentages derived from national and rural populations were obtained based on national population estimates from the latest World Bank World Development Indicators.
Three sets of figures are provided for the estimated total population of indigenous peoples and forest peoples around the world. The first is calculated based on the mean of ranges. The second is calculated based on the lower figure of each range, thereby reflecting the lower bound of the total estimate. The third is calculated based on the higher figure of each range, reflecting the upper bound of the total estimate.
What is a forest?
Forests can mean different things to different people in different places and are also defined in various ways in different national and international legal frameworks. Forests may be valued as ecological, political, economic and cultural entities. There exist over 1,500 documented definitions of forests across the world11 and these derive from the international community, national definitions, and state, provincial or local definitions. Customary forest dwellers and indigenous peoples may define and interpret their environment differently across regions, cultures and generations. Forests also have a customary and spiritual meaning as a source of livelihood, cultural significance and individual and collective identification.
Existing international definitions of forest differ from one another in a number of ways. For example, the Food and Agriculture Organisation defines forest based on a minimum threshold for the height of trees (5m), a minimum crown cover (10%) and a minimum forest area size (0.5 ha). According to this definition, there are today just under 4 billion ha of forest in the world, covering about 30% of the world¡¦s land mass.12 On the other hand, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) threshold values for forest are a minimum area of 0.01-1.0 ha, a minimum tree height of 2-5m and a minimum crown cover 10-30%, while the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) defines forest based on a minimum crown cover of 40%.
10 Colchester et al 2001
11 Lund 2012 rev*
12 FAO 2006
4
Forests are also legal jurisdictions. For example, as originally conceived in Europe, a "forest" was an area of land set aside for Royal Hunts and included any areas suitable for deer hunting, including heaths, pastures and farmland as well as woodlands. Such areas became subject to the forestry laws and denied or diminished the common people¡¦s rights to the lands. Ever since the first "forest" was declared in England, forests have thus been contested jurisdictions.13 The rise of ecological theory has shifted the emphasis in the definition of forests away from this original notion towards an appreciation of "forests" as tree-dominated ecosystems, but the idea that forests are areas of land reserved for the strategic interests of the State remains very strong.
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Whither the forest? |
All this means that rights and claims to forestland by customary forest dwellers can be subject to interpretation depending on how forest is defined. Although focused primarily on tropical and sub-tropical forests, estimated figures for forest peoples in this report may also include customary dwellers of woodlands, savannah, grassland and shrubland. It should also be noted that an overwhelming majority of customary forest peoples have been considerably affected by deforestation in many countries, meaning they are no longer able to access or depend directly on the forest for their livelihoods.
Furthermore, forestry laws often deny local people any rights of residence, ownership and even use of forests or subject them to complicated regulations which impede their access and make them vulnerable to manipulation. Since forest peoples' rights are so attenuated and their livelihoods often "illegal" or even criminalised, they are commonly invisible in censuses and denied the normal services that communities received from the administration. Deep-seated prejudices against "savage" and tribal ways of life have reinforced such exclusion.
Who are indigenous peoples?
In the most general sense, indigenous peoples can be understood as descendants of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when peoples of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived. Although there is no universal definition of "indigenous peoples", the factors which international organisations and legal experts have considered relevant to understanding the concept of "indigenous" include:
- priority in time with respect the occupation and use of a specific territory;
13 Colchester 2003
5
- the voluntary perpetuation of cultural distinctiveness, which may include aspects of language, social organisation, religion and spiritual values, modes of production, laws and institutions;
- self-identification, as well as recognition by other groups, or by State authorities, as a distinct collectivity and;
- an experience of subjugation, exclusion or discrimination, whether or not these conditions persist.14
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP),15 adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2007, articulates the rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to the ownership of the lands, territories and natural resources that they traditionally own or otherwise occupy or use.
It is important to note that not all forest dependent peoples are necessarily indigenous peoples, although many indigenous peoples are dependent on forests and other natural resources. In South Asia, South East Asia and Africa, for example, agriculturalists have a long history of using forest produce and of regulating access to forest resources.16
The findings of this report reveal that estimates for populations of indigenous peoples tend to vary widely. Some states do not recognise the category of ¡¥indigenous peoples' in their national constitutions or legislation. In some cases, "indigenous peoples" may be applied restrictively to certain groups and not others, who may also have reason to self-identify as such according to the elements above.
Mutwa woman and child, Kisoro District, Uganda/United Organisation for Batwa Development in Uganda (UOBDU)
Government statistics do not always differentiate peoples by ethnicity, and where indigenous peoples lack citizenship or inhabit remote and inaccessible regions, they may not be represented in censuses at all. Where government figures are available, they are often challenged by indigenous peoples as unrepresentative under-estimates. At the same time, certain indigenous peoples (choose to) remain uncontacted, such as certain communities in the Amazon Basin.
Figures for the overall indigenous population from the International Labour Organisation), Survival International and the International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs range between 300 and 500 million across some 90 countries worldwide, representing around 5% of the world's population. The World Bank has widely disseminated a rough estimate that 60 million of the 350 million people living inside or close to dense forests, and largely dependent on forests for subsistence and income, are indigenous peoples.17 A more recent figure claims this number to be as high as 350 million indigenous people.18
14 Daes 1996 cited in Colchester 2003 [1994]
15 UNDRIP 2007
16 Colchester 2003 [1994]:72
17 Bhargava (ed) 2006
18 ILC (n.d.)
6
Who are forest peoples?
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| Nahua hunters in their ancestral territory, Southeast Peru/Johan Wildhagen |
Not all forest-dependent peoples are necessarily self-identified as indigenous peoples. In South Asia, Southeast Asia and Africa, for example, agriculturalists have a long history of using forest produce and of regulating access to forest resources may not see themselves as different from the national population yet they claim rights in forests based on custom.19
According to the World Bank, more than 1.6 billion people around the world depend to varying degrees on forests for their livelihoods ¡V not just for food but also for fuel, livestock grazing and medicine. Of these, an estimated 350 million people live inside or close to dense forests, largely dependent on these areas for subsistence and income, while an estimated range of 60 million to 200 million indigenous people are almost wholly dependent on forests.20
The findings of this report show that estimates for forest people numbers vary depending on the perceived nature and degree of dependency on forests21and the proximity of different communities to forests.22 Some figures account for people who are primarily dependent on forests, while others account for people who depend in one way or another on forest resources. Some figures represent forest-dwelling populations, which may include non-indigenous populations who have settled on forest land for several generations, and on this basis, also lay claim to forest lands. Estimates may also include employees of the forestry, conservation or agro-industry sectors who have moved into forested areas for paid work. Traditionally forest-dwelling communities may have been forcefully displaced or evicted from their customary lands. In many cases, these important distinctions are not made clear in available estimates.
Having trawled the extensive, scattered, very variable information available, it can be concluded that there are very approximately half a billion indigenous people in the world, while forest peoples make up some 1.3 billion.
19 Colchester 2003 [1994]:72
20 World Bank 2002
21 Angelsen & Wunder 2003
22 Byron & Arnold 1999 [1997] have argued that proximity to forests is not always synonymous with forest dependence. Instead, they propose a typology of different users that recognises the varied nature of relationships of people to forests and forest products, and the impact of changes in economic, cultural and social conditions on these relationships.
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REGION |
FOREST PEOPLES |
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Central Africa |
30 - 60 million23 |
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Southeast Asia |
140 million24 |
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Asia and the Pacific |
481-579 million25 |
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Tropical rainforest |
805 million26 |
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Latin America and Caribbean |
40 million27 |
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Amazon Basin |
30 million28 |
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Boreal forest |
60 million29 |
Forest peoples’ numbers by type of dependence30
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TABLE B(1) TYPE OF FOREST DEPENDENCE |
ESTIMATED POPULATION |
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Indigenous peoples who depend primarily on natural (usually closed canopy) forests for their livelihoods (hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation) |
200 million31 |
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Rural people who live in or at the margin of natural forests or woodlands, who rely on the forest as a safety net or for supplemental income |
350 million |
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Smallholder farmers who grow farm trees or manage remnant forests for subsistence and income |
500 million - 1 billion |
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Artisans or employees in formal or informal forest-based enterprises |
45 million |
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ESTIMATED TOTAL |
1.095 - 1.745 billion |
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TABLE B(2)32 TYPE OF FOREST DEPENDENCE |
ESTIMATED POPULATION |
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Formal sector employment |
12.9 – 20 million |
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Informal and formal sector forest-based enterprises |
47 – 140 million |
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Indigenous peoples dependent on forests |
60 million - 350 million33 |
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People who live in or near forests and depend on forest for additional income |
350 million |
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Smallholder farmers who use agroforestry practices |
500 million – 1.2 billion |
23 UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2009.
24 Poffenberger 2006
25 RCFTC 2009
26 Chomitz et al 2007
27 IWGIA (n.d.) Indigenous peoples in Latin America
28 UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2009
29 Burton et al 2010
30 Byron & Arnold 1999 [1997]; SSC 2000
31 Tauli Corpuz 2011
32 UNEP/ILO/IOE/ITUC 2008. *It is extremely difficult to find accurate totals for the stated categories because there is a large range of estimates and some of the categories are likely to overlap.
33 ILC (n.d.)
8
TABLE C: Indigenous peoples and forest peoples by country
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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES |
FOREST PEOPLES |
SOURCE |
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MEXICO & CENTRAL AMERICA |
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Mexico |
≈13,300,000 |
13,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Profor 2005 |
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Guatemala |
6,000,000+ |
300,000++ |
IWGIA 2011; IUCN 2010 |
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Honduras |
≈1,270,000 |
2,910,800 |
IWGIA 2010; FCPF 2008a |
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Nicaragua |
612,000 |
≈2,325,260 |
IWGIA 2011; Colchester et al 2006 |
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Costa Rica |
63,900 |
≈54,300+ |
IWGIA 2011; Cultural Survival 1992 |
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Panama |
417,600 |
417,600 |
IWGIA 2011; Campos 2011 |
||
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Belize |
20,000 |
165,000 |
MRGI Belize; FCPF 2011 |
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El Salvador |
≈600,000 |
n.d.34 |
MRGI El Salvador; FCPF 2009 |
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SOUTH AMERICA |
|||||
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Colombia |
1,378,900 |
100,00035 - 1,210,50036 |
IWGIA 2011; Kronik & Verner 2010; Gaia Amazonas (n.d.) |
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34 Decades of assimilationist policies and the migration of indigenous peoples to urban areas has made it difficult to identify, locate and quantify forest-dependent indigenous peoples in El Salvador. No disaggregated data on forest-dependent populations were found.
35 This figure represents the indigenous population of the Colombian Amazon.
36 This figure represents the population of the Colombian Amazon.
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Venezuela |
634,300 |
507,400+ |
IWGIA 2011; Global Forest Watch (n.d.) |
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Suriname |
18,200 |
40,000 – 91,00037 |
IWGIA 2011; Tropenbos Intl 2004; FPP 2009 |
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Ecuador |
2,000,000 |
150,00038 - 450,00039 |
IWGIA 2011; MARP 2003; Bremner & Lu 2006 |
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Peru |
13,080,000 |
333,000 |
IWGIA 2011; MRGI Peru |
|
Bolivia |
180,000 – 6,157,000 |
500,000 - 3,326,00040 |
IWGIA 2011; Colchester et al 2006; MRGI Bolivia; FCPF (n.d.) |
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Brazil |
734,100 |
460,000 |
IWGIA 2011; UNEP/GRID-Arendal 2009 |
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Paraguay |
108,800 |
108,800 |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Argentina |
600,300++ |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
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Chile |
1,188,300 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
French Guiana |
4,000 – 32,000 |
10,000 - 32,000 |
MRGI French Guiana; Jiménez 2010; van Andel et al 2003 |
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Guyana |
50,000+ - 70,000+ |
67,900 - 754,50041 |
MRGI Guyana; Thomas et al 2005; IUCN 2006 |
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Uruguay |
1,000+ |
12,600 – 25,20042 |
MRGI Uruguay; Mermot & van Hoff 2010 |
37 This figure includes the non-indigenous tribal peoples known as the Maroons.
38 This figure represents the indigenous population of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
39 This figure represents the population of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
40 This figure represents the rural population of Bolivia which is directly dependent on forest resources.
41 Most Guyanese depend on forest resources in some way.
42 5% to 10% of Uruguay’s rural population depends directly on forestry.
10
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AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND & THE PACIFIC |
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Australia |
520,000 |
260,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Fisher et al 1997; Marrie & Marrie (forthcoming) |
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New Zealand |
731,000 |
n.d.43 |
IWGIA 2011; Fisher et al 1997 |
|
Guam |
64,800 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
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Hawaii |
240,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
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New Caledonia |
100,000 |
n.d.44 |
IWGIA 2011; RCFTC 2009 |
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EAST & SOUTHEAST ASIA |
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Japan |
1,328,800 |
n.d.45 |
IWGIA 2011; Shigeru & Selden 1994 |
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China |
105,226,100 |
400,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Xu et al 2010 |
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Taiwan |
484,200 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
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Philippines |
9,400,000 – 15,000,000 |
25,000,000 – 30,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010a; Fisher et al 1997 |
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Indonesia |
30,000,000 – 70,000,000 |
80,000,000 – 95,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010a; Fisher et al 1997 |
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Malaysia |
3,432,000 |
3,613,000 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010a; Yong 2006; PACOS Trust (n.d.) |
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Thailand |
≈1,100,000 |
20,000,000 – 25,000,000 |
AIPP 2010a; Fisher et al 1997 |
43 Some Maori communities reside in forest lands.
44 Much of the rural population is resident in or near forest land often under some form of communal ownership.
45 The Ainu were formerly customary forest dwellers.
11
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Cambodia |
≈179,000 – 197,000 |
1,400,000 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010a; Poffenberger 2006 |
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Vietnam |
10,000,000 |
25,000,000 |
AIPP 2010a; Fisher et al 1997 |
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Laos |
2,400,000 – 4,800,000 |
5,270,800 |
AIPP 2010a; AIT-UNEP 2001 |
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Burma |
14,400,000 – 19,200,000 |
≈33,574,000 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010a; UNESCAP (n.d.) |
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Papua New Guinea |
6,860,000 |
5,280,000 |
IUCN 2002; FCPF 2008b |
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SOUTH ASIA |
|||
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Bangladesh |
2,500,000 – 3,000,000 |
≈600,000 - 114,493,00046 |
IWGIA 2011; AIPP 2010b; FPP 2010; CHT Commission (n.d.); Lynch 1992; USAID (n.d.) |
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Nepal |
8,400,000 – 14,979,500+ |
18,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Fisher et al 1997 |
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India |
84,300,000+ |
275,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Fisher et al 1997 |
|
Sri Lanka |
n.d.47 |
2,000,000 – 4,000,000 |
IWGIA 2008; IWGIA 2003; Fisher et al 1997 |
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Pakistan |
35,000,000 – 42,000,000 |
116,307,60048 |
AIPP 2010b; WWF Pakistan 2010 |
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MIDDLE EAST |
|||
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Palestine |
13,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Israel |
190,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
46 This figure represents the population dependent on both wetlands and forests.
47 Census surveys do not distinguish the indigenous Vedda as a distinct ethnic group.
48 This figure represents the number of people directly dependent on natural resources, including forests.
12
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NORTH & WEST AFRICA |
|||
|
Egypt |
666,000 – 1,166,000 |
n.d. |
ILO & ACHPR 2009a |
|
Morocco |
≈6,946,300 – 22,366,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Algeria |
≈10,000,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Tunisia |
527,500 |
n.d. |
IWGIA & ACHPR 2005 |
|
Niger |
2,688,800 |
n.d. |
IWGIA Niger |
|
Burkina Faso |
n.d. |
13,109,00049 |
IWGIA 2011; BFMESD 2011 |
|
Sudan |
n.d. |
n.d.50 |
Hamid et al 2010 |
|
Ivory Coast |
n.d. |
13,816,50051 |
Topa (n.d.) |
|
Ghana |
n.d. |
11,000,00052 |
Gyimah & Dadebo 2010 |
|
Guinea |
n.d. |
880,000 – 1,500,000 |
CIRAD 2001 |
|
Equatorial Guinea |
n.d. |
3,200,000 – 3,600,000 |
Forests Monitor (n.d.) |
|
Liberia |
n.d. |
1,317,000 |
FERN 2008 |
|
Guinea-Bissau |
n.d. |
795,500 |
World Bank Carbon Finance Unit 2009 |
|
Mali |
15,116,829+ |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011; MRGI Mali |
|
Sierra Leone |
n.d. |
n.d.53 |
CBD 2003 |
|
Senegal |
n.d. |
471,800 |
MRGI Senegal |
|
Nigeria |
20,625,200 |
71,576,00054 – 110,896,00055 |
ILO & ACHPR 2009b; ECOSOC 2007; Titilola & Jeje 2008 |
49 This figure represents the rural population who depend primarily on savanna and dry forests for their livelihoods.
50 More than two thirds of the population is dependent on one-third of the forestry resources in the north, while the ratio is reversed in the forest-rich south.
51 This figure represents the number of people who make direct use of forest resources. No disaggregated data found.
52 Around 11 million of Ghana’s population live in forest areas; about two thirds of livelihoods are supported by forest activities.
53 An estimated 85% of the Sierra Leonean population (4,987,000 people) are dependent on the use of fuel wood and charcoal for domestic heating and cooking.
54 90% of the rural population depend on forest and woodland for fuel. No disaggregated data found.
55 70% of the population depends on fuel wood. No disaggregated data found.
13
|
HORN OF AFRICA & EAST AFRICA |
|||
|
Ethiopia |
10,000,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Eritrea |
240,000 |
n.d. |
ILO & ACHPR 2009c |
|
Kenya |
18,158,200+ |
2,900,00056 |
IWGIA 2011; Ongugo et al 2008; ILO & ACHPR 2009d |
|
Uganda |
396,000 |
6,000 |
ILO & ACHPR 2009e |
|
Tanzania |
524,200 |
n.d.57 |
IWGIA 2011; Jensen 2005 |
|
Madagascar |
n.d. |
≈14,499,700 |
Smith & Ellis 2008 |
|
CENTRAL AFRICA |
|||
|
Rwanda |
33,000 – 35,000 |
35,000 |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Burundi |
78,100 |
78,100 |
IWGIA 2011; Amani 2009; ILO & ACHPR 2009f |
|
Democratic Republic of Congo |
100,000 – 2,000,000 |
100,000 – 2,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Ben-Achour et al 2011; MediaCongo 2011 |
|
Republic of Congo |
300,000 |
200,000 – 400,000 |
IWGIA Republic of Congo; UNICEF 2008 |
|
Gabon |
20,000 |
20,00058 |
IWGIA 2011; World Bank 2005; ACHPR & IWGIA 2010 |
|
Cameroon |
1,044,300 |
38,000 – 54,000 |
IWGIA 2011; IWGIA Cameroon; Couillard et al 2009 |
56 No disaggregated data on forest-dependent indigenous peoples found.
57 Rural households often depend directly on forest resources in order to fulfil their basic needs.
58 The indigenous Pygmies are primarily dependent on forests and forest resources.
14
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Central African Republic |
44,000 |
≈15,800++ |
Backiny-Yetna & Wodon 2011; ACHPR & IWGIA 2007 |
|
Chad |
1,122,700 |
n.d.59 |
IWGIA Chad; Rural Poverty Portal (n.d.) |
|
SOUTHERN AFRICA |
|||
|
Angola |
6,200 – 9,800 |
15,265,600 |
IWGIA Angola; FAO 2001a; ACHPR & IWGIA 2005 |
|
Namibia |
32,000 – ≈55,000+ |
n.d. |
IWGIA Namibia; ILO & ACHPR 2009g; ACHPR & IWGIA 2005 |
|
Botswana |
66,000 |
n.d.60 |
IWGIA 2011; FAO 2001b |
|
South Africa |
500,000 |
9,000,000 – 12,000,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Shackleton 2004 |
|
Malawi |
n.d. |
11,592,000 |
USAID 2010 |
|
Mozambique |
n.d. |
20,000,000 |
REDD Network (n.d.) |
|
Swaziland |
n.d. |
n.d.61 |
ECS 2004 |
|
Zambia |
1,600 |
n.d.62 |
Jumbe et al 2008; ACHPR & IWGIA 2005 |
|
PACIFIC ISLANDS STATES & DEPENDENCIES |
n.d. |
6,000,000 |
RCFTC 2009 |
15
|
NORTH AMERICA & ARCTIC |
|||
|
Canada |
623,800 |
n.d.63 |
FNSI (n.d.) |
|
USA |
4,900,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2010 |
|
Russia |
≈250,000 |
200,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Bangert & Reinke 2005 |
|
Greenland |
50,000 |
n.d. |
IWGIA 2011 |
|
Sweden |
20,000 |
17,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Baer 1996 |
|
Norway |
50,000 – 65,000 |
35,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Baer 1996 |
|
Finland |
8,000 |
5,000 |
IWGIA 2011; Baer 1996 |
|
TOTALS DERIVED FROM TABLE C |
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES |
FOREST PEOPLES |
|
|
Mean |
507,161,929 |
1,324,619,960 |
|
|
Lower bound |
454,269,029 |
1,228,941,160 |
|
|
Upper bound |
560,054,829 |
1,420,298,760 |
|
|
Comment: The figure for indigenous peoples appears to confirm the upper-range estimate of the world’s indigenous peoples as numbering around 500 million across around ninety countries. |
Comment: The figure for forest peoples is close to the widely cited estimate of 1.6 billion forest-dependent people. |
||
63 More than 800 Aboriginal communities are located within Canada’s productive forest and many continue to depend on the forest for traditional non-economic uses.
2012 Forest Peoples Programme
1c Fosseway Business Centre, Stratford Road
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Tel: +44 (0)1608652893
info@forestpeoples.org
Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) was founded in 1990 in response to the forest crisis, specifically to support indigenous forest peoples¡¦ struggles to defend their lands and livelihoods. Since then, Forest Peoples Programme has grown into a respected and successful organisation that now operates right around the tropical forest belt where it serves to bridge the gap between policy makers and forest peoples. Through advocacy, practical projects and capacity building, Forest Peoples Programme supports forest peoples to deal directly with the outside powers, regionally, nationally, and internationally that shape their lives and futures. Forest Peoples Programme has contributed to, and continues supporting, the growing indigenous peoples' movement whose voice is gaining influence and attention on the world-wide stage.
For further information, please visit www.forestpeoples.org.
Sophie Chao
With particular thanks to Tom Griffiths, Marcus Colchester, Carol Yong, Chris Kidd, Helen Tugendhat and Conrad Feather, for their advice and suggestions.
This document has "open access", you are free to print a copy from our website. You may also reproduce the text with appropriate acknowledgements to FPP.
c Forest Peoples Programme
Cover photo: Batwa forest-dwelling family, Rwanda/Dorothy Jackson
Editor's Note: For references corresponding to the numbers in the text, please go to the original source below. - LMB
Source: Forest Peoples Programme