A testament to the actions you've takenDear Jack,

Survival has been exposing the eviction and persecution of Indigenous peoples in
the name of “conservation” for more than 30 years, but the last few weeks may
well prove to have been a turning point in this long campaign.

We want to share this news with you, because what’s happening now is testament
to the power of public opinion, and the actions you’ve taken, to force even the
most powerful to change.

Recently the Indigenous movement scored three major victories:

In Kenya the Ogiek, Indigenous people of the Mau forest, won an historic victory
in Africa’s top court. The court ruled that the government – which has long been
trying to evict them for conservation – must finally recognize their collective
land title so they can ‘use and enjoy’ their land.

In the US, a landmark bill cleared its first major hurdle in Congress – it will
mean that the key government agency working on conservation can no longer fund
projects (often run by WWF or WCS) if human rights violations are taking place.
If passed it will be the first such legislation anywhere in the world, and it’s
setting a precedent that other governments and conservation organizations will
find hard to ignore.

In France, government plans to fund Congo’s famous gorilla preserve,
Kahuzi-Biega National Park, have been suspended after intensive work by Survival
to highlight the appalling atrocities against the park’s original Batwa
population (see below).

The battle to bring the human rights abuses against Indigenous and local
communities in the name of conservation to public attention is also making real
headway. There’s been an array of significant press coverage in the last few
weeks:

- Kenyan journalist Gatu wa Mbaria published an important article
[[link removed]] in The Guardian, highlighting how conservation as practiced in East Africa (and
elsewhere) is really a continuation of the colonial era.

- Al-Jazeera broadcast a hard-hitting exposé
[[link removed]] of atrocities committed against Batwa people by park rangers inside the Congo’s
Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Their reporting, and that of Radio France International
[[link removed]] , reinforced Survival’s campaign to get the French government to suspend its
planned funding of the park (see above).

- US-based Professor Aby Sène-Harper published an analysis
[[link removed]] of how “Western nonprofits are trampling over Africans’ rights and land, and
Indigenous people are being forced out from so-called protected areas.”

Of course, there remains a huge mountain to climb. The recent police brutality
[[link removed]] against Maasai people protesting at their eviction from their lands near
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania – to make way for trophy hunting,
conservation and wildlife safaris – was a surprise only to those who haven’t
been following the many similar cases around the world. The violence left one
Maasai man dead and dozens wounded, while thousands fled across the
Kenya-Tanzania border to seek sanctuary.

But even here, we noticed a change – the attack on the Maasai was reported
around the world, and as a country highly dependent on tourism, Tanzania can ill
afford this kind of publicity.

So we’re increasingly optimistic that your campaigning actions – a powerful
reinforcement of Indigenous peoples’ brave resistance to these abuses – are
making a real difference. The tide is turning!



Jade Bridgwood
Supporter services



P.S. We've got just a few spaces left for the London Marathon in October. Reply
to this email if you're interested in taking on this incredible challenge in
solidarity with tribal peoples.

P.P.S. Calling all fundraisers! Do you want to make the world a better place for
tribal peoples? We’ve an exciting opportunity
[[link removed]] for a Community Fundraising Officer to join our London team.



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