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The safeguarding of the environment cannot be divorced from ensuring justice for the poor and finding answers to the structural problems of the global economy.
Pope Francis, 2019

This year, while heads of state are meeting to talk about how to address climate change in summits like the G20 or COP26, more and more activists in the Global South face dangers for protecting the biodiversity so crucial for our people and our planet. The most vulnerable members of our human family are bearing the triple burden of experiencing the worst impacts of climate change, of being overlooked in top-down climate discussions, and of being threatened and/or criminalized for speaking out.

A story from Cambodia

The land and forests are the very basis to the way of life of Indigenous communities in Cambodia.

Yet, deforestation is occurring legally and illegally, with permits or without, for wood harvesting and/or from building mining access roads. Development and Peace’s local partner in Cambodia, Development and Partnership in Action (DPA), trains community leaders and supports them throughout the lengthy process of securing official title to their lands. Once the land title is secured after a rigorous process, it is up to the community itself to patrol the land to defend it against encroachment and illegal activities.

Many of the communities that DPA works with in Cambodia rely on non-timber forest products, such as fruit and vegetables, honey, and wild herbs for both home use and for household income.
Mrs. Orn Manyvorn and her mother clean bamboo shoots for steaming in Kampun village. (June 2021. Photo: DPA.)

Relying on the sustainability of the forest, Indigenous and rural communities practice traditional harvesting methods that protect and support the forests.
Mr Chhean Phorn stimulates the flow of resin of the Dipterocarp tree with fire – a method that can be used for decades without harming the tree. Resin is important for the Indigenous Bunong and is used for many things, such as varnish, soap or lanterns. (Anlong Phea village, May 2021. Photo: DPA.)

The local peoples continue to have a traditional relationship with the forest to protect their culture, livelihood, and identity, but also to safeguard biodiversity.
The Dipterocarp tree, from which the Bunong extract resin, has a cauliflower-shaped crown that lowers wind speed, produces food for pollinators, and supports soil health, among other things. (Anlong Phea village, May 2021. Photo: DPA.)

Our partner, DPA, supports communities through the lengthy process of securing official title to their lands.
Community Land Title group in Pu Traeng. (Photo: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.)

Even once the land title is secured, it is up to the community itself to patrol the land to defend it against encroachment and illegal activities.
A Community Forestry border, demarking protected lands to which the local community holds land title. (Krasang village, June 2020. Photo: DPA.)

"If we didn't have the logging patrol group, there would be a lot of offenders breaking the law and there would be no more land and forest left for us... I work very hard to protect our land. I go on patrol day and night.” - Ngeng Kry, member of the Community Forestry in Kombak Village
Community Land Title members patrolling their land find the remains of a big tree that was logged illegally. (Teun commune, 2019. Photo: DPA.)

DPA supports communities in documenting illegal activity and reporting it to the authorities.
Patrol members confiscating illegal logs from an outsider who entered the area to take protected wood. (Near Krasang village, October 2020. Photo: DPA.)

DPA supports communities in protecting the ecosystems in which they live. Part of this work is to designate areas of particular conservation efforts.
Committee members install a plaque to demark the conservation area. (July 2021. Photo: DPA.)

"The forest is very important for the next generation and for us."- Snay Thong, Tuen Village patroller.
Mrs Phork Hong, leader of the Community Protected Area (CPA), and Mrs Not Son collect wild fruit for their families while on patrol over their protected lands. (April 2021. Photo: DPA.)

A story from Honduras

In Honduras, Development and Peace’s local partner, the Honduran Centre for the Promotion of Community Development (CEHPRODEC) accompanies communities who are defending their rights, land and livelihoods.

They train local leaders in the defense of human rights, in documenting violations and to contribute to international analyses and strategic lawsuits.

Víctor Vásquez is an Indigenous leader and environmentalist from the Lenca community of Simpinula in Honduras. He has been charged for defending land from encroachment by businesses – land for which his community holds a government-recognized collective title.

The local office of the UN Human Rights Council in Honduras and four UN rapporteurs have expressed concern about the criminalization of Víctor and the misuse of the crime of forced displacement against him. Watch the video to learn more about the case.

Canada’s role and responsibility

The extractive industry is the deadliest driver of violence against environmental defenders. Canada, the home of approximately 75% of the world’s mining companies, claims to be a leader in responsible business conduct. Yet, there is no shortage of allegations of human rights abuses and environmental damage made by Canadian mining companies. Various UN bodies have pointed out that Canada is currently not meeting its obligations under international human rights norms, calling for effective policies and mechanisms to ensure all Canadian corporations, in particularly mining corporations, respect human rights when operating abroad, and for an independent mechanism to investigate allegations against Canadian companies.

Now more than ever, we need mandatory supply chain due diligence to stop corporate abuse and guarantee global solidarity. Through their operations, irresponsible companies are complicit in acts of violence and suffering. We, Catholic leaders throughout the world, call on states to put an end to this.
Letter of support for human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD), signed by bishops from around the world, including Bishop Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), on behalf of the Bishops of Canada

To prevent human rights abuses and environmental harm before they happen, the international expectation for companies to perform due diligence must be made legally binding. In Canada, the implementation of a human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) law would mean that Canadian companies, and those that sell products in and have presence in Canada, would be required to prevent, address and remedy human rights and environmental abuses through their entire supply chains.

People and Planet First

As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and collectively address the climate crisis, we must ensure that with all our plans, people and the planet come first. As Catholics, as Canadians, we must also ensure that all future economic activity operates in full recognition of the human rights of all persons involved, including their right to a safe, sustainable, and healthy environment. We can ensure that Canadian companies are not complicit in human rights abuses, including environmental degradation, and we can contribute to a global standard in which the protection of human and environmental rights is an enforceable obligation.

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Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile.
Pope Francis, 2015

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