They became familiar figures on the international stage. They were present at the Global Conference of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, held in Moscow in January 1990. In a traditional village setting on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, constructed with UNDP support, indigenous peoples held their own meeting in connection with the UN Conference on Environment and Development. The keepers of nature Just over three years ago, the role of indigenous in matters of global ecology was brought before the international community in a statement by the indigenous delegation at the Moscow conference on human survival. Indigenous cultures have provided the only historical models of sustainable development and must become primary decision makers in the future of sustainable development.
Civilizations invariably go under.
In contrast, indigenous cultures go on and on, some for thousands of years, or for as long as they have been visible in the eye of history. This is explained by the simple fact that indigenous societies maintain a sustainable relation with the Earth, and the great civilizations do not. The mainstream industrial world can see us maintaining the most difficult environments in permanent working condition. Whether in the tropical forests, in the frozen north, or in the semi-arid plains of East Africa where I live. David Kopenawan, a Yanomami of the Amazon forest, was in complete agreement.