Eighty percent of global biological diversity is found in indigenous territories. Indigenous people were and have been stewards of the land for thousands of years. Plants, animals, birds, flowers, fish, mountains, rivers and streams are all part of their creation stories and form the basis of traditional practices. In the climate change literature, indigenous communities are often portrayed as being on the front-line of dealing with the impacts of climate change, much like the people who live in the small Pacific Islands in our region.
The Archipelago of Hope by Gleb Raygorodetsky was an unexpected present from my partner and ended up being such a wonderful read. Indeed, it was a breath of fresh air through the books I have read this year. Growing up in a remote indigenous territory as a young boy, Gleb spent much of his time with his father fishing and being outdoors. For the last two decades, he has worked closely with indigenous communities around the world on natural resource management and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. The trust and understanding between the indigenous communities Gleb visits and how he shares their stories is evident throughout the book.
Climate change is having a profound impact on indigenous communities around the world. Gleb shares stories about the loss of deer herding routes, salmon fisheries and glaciers. These climatic challenges are built on a foundation of historical forced assimilation of indigenous people into mainstream societies by governments, ripping communities away from their land and families. To make matters worse, the desire for economic growth continues to cloud policies and indigenous communities are still being torn from the land to make way for mines, infrastructure, agriculture and forestry operations.
The book is accessible to a wide audience. For a book that is about climate change, it is light on scientific knowledge but heavy on traditional knowledge and stories. Readers will also find the book incredibly vivid and rich with narrative that brings the remote communities and their landscapes to life. From ice-fishing for salmon under the Northern lights in Finland to receiving guidance from a shaman in the Altai Mountains to meeting forest defenders in the Ecuadorian Amazon to learning about swidden farming in Thailand and finally to protecting ancient forests and streams in British Columbia.
“The giant curtains of stella light rippling in the sky beneath the stars halt me in my tracks when, nice and warm, I head back to the cabin. The Northern lights are green, but the flashes of red along the edges of the aurora borealis give me pause” (pg 54)
(Reading this reminded me of seeing the Northern Lights in Iceland)
I found Gleb’s book both sad and uplifting. Unlike other books in this genre, Gleb manages to balance vulnerability of indigenous communities to climate change with their incredible resilience. Instead of painting these communities as victims, he positions them as a group of people who are going to be best placed to survive. Key to this is the wealth of traditional knowledge that has been passed down through the generations. As such, Gleb argues that for any meaningful solutions to addressing climate change needs to include and incorporate indigenous knowledge and practices. To that effect, he offers a number of ways in which stronger, meaningful relationships can be formed with indigenous groups.
I highly recommend The Archipelago of Hope. It is easily one of the most beautiful and insightful books I have read this year. It made me pause and reflect on how I can improve and work closer with indigenous communities. Perhaps more profoundly, it made me think about what traditional knowledge and practices I can learn from my own background as a Fijian-Indian-Australian who practices Hinduism that will make me a better global citizen. I highly recommend The Archipelago of Hope.
“When we walk on this land, we do it slowly, with honour and respect and humility, because we tread on the dust of our ancestors” Levi Martin in The Archipelago of Hope (pg 249)
Conservation, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development 