"The appeal comes as governments work to finalise a new global pact to safeguard biodiversity at the two-part COP15 U.N. summit, which concludes next May"
"BOGOTA - Indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest have a clear message for decision-makers ahead of two global environment conferences: respect our land and human rights to slow climate change and protect biodiversity.
"People who exploit and take out resources don't live (in the Amazon) - but we do. The forest is our home," said Nemonte Nenquimo, a native leader of Ecuador's Waorani people.
"If we don't protect the forest, climate change will get worse and unknown illnesses will come," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a video call from her Amazon community.
About 195 countries are expected to finalise a new pact to safeguard the planet's plants, animals and ecosystems at the two-part COP15 U.N. summit, which starts on Monday with a virtual session and concludes in May 2022 in Kunming, China."
Anastasia Moloney reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation October 11, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"China's Xi Launches $232 Mln Biodiversity Protection Fund For Developing Countries" (Reuters)
"Halt Destruction Of Nature Or Risk ‘Dead Planet’, Leading Businesses Warn" (Guardian)
"Biodiversity Loss Risks 'Ecological Meltdown' - Scientists" (BBC News)
"COP15: Vice-Premier Vows More Ambitious Biodiversity Plans For China" (South China Morning Post)
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