Te Urewera is the largest rainforest on New Zealand’s northern island. The rainforest is rich in biodiversity, splashing waterfalls, lakes and tall trees, where treetops are often covered by heavy fog. It has been the home of the indigenous people, called the Tūhoe people, for centuries. In 2014, the rainforest was given back to the Tūhoe people and the forest was given the same rights as a human being. It was the world’s first law of its kind, and it put an end to the state-owned Te Urewera National Park. Since then, the nearly 7,000 Tūhoe people have encouraged people to visit their holy land to gain a deeper understanding that humans are connected to nature. In addition, the Tūhoe people are responsible for preserving the ecosystem and biodiversity of the rainforest. However, it is not the only rainforest that has been returned to its original owner in recent years. Daintree Rainforest, the world’s oldest rainforest, is located in Australia. The rainforest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and abounds with life. It has over 3000 plant species and several hundred different species of mammals, birds and reptiles. At the end of September last year, an agreement was reached: the rainforest was to be returned to the indigenous people, the eastern Kuku Yalanji people, who are one of the oldest living cultures. They will own and take care of their returned land and in the long run ensure sustainable tourism. Biodiversity Returns In an agricultural area in New South Wales, Australia, government agencies wanted to restore large and fertile wetlands that had previously been rich in wildlife but had been contaminated and destroyed. Eight years ago, therefore, the authorities bought as many as 19 farms in that area. Indigenous people Nari The Nari people won the tender to rebuild the area. Nari The Nari people, among other things, removed the ancient irrigation system and chased away invasive species such as foxes, deer and cats, which had a negative effect on biodiversity. In 2018, the first animals began to return. Fish, frogs and birds, such as the spoonbill and the black swan, flocked and frolic in the revived water park. In 2019, the Nari Nari people gained full ownership of the wetland area. They have named the area “Gayini”, which means water in their language. The green island that remains green In the early 1980s, satellite images showed, according to National Geographic, that the Amazon was becoming less and less green due to deforestation. In 2004, the devastation seemed unstoppable and omnivorous. Brazil’s deforestation had reached an alarming 27,000 square kilometers a year. But suddenly the total destruction in the picture stopped, not everywhere, but a spot remained green. It still does if you look at it Google Earth Timelapse. In the picture, the spot looks like a green and lush island. Burnt and felled trees spread like a brown destruction around it, but do not penetrate. The green island is not deserted and there are no high walls that keep people out, but on the contrary is home to thousands of indigenous peoples and under their protection. The stain is not as small as it may sound. The Kayapo people officially own the area, which is the size of a small country like South Korea or Iceland. It houses about 7,000 Kayapo people as well as another 5,500 indigenous people from 14 different tribes. Stolen land back in the hands of the indigenous people Also in the USA, government authorities are seen giving stolen land back to the indigenous people. This has happened in California, Oregon and New York, among others. However, it has not happened from one day to the next, but is the result of fierce and exhausting struggles for the Native Americans. In the state of Montana in 1908, the US government took a huge piece of land from the two tribes Salish and Kootenai. The government then created the National Bison Range in the area to protect the remaining bison, which once rumbled in masses, but which in 1908 had almost been exterminated as a result of hunting. Although the two tribes also agreed that the bison should be protected, they have since fought to get the area back. For it was a constant reminder of the government’s repeated unfair treatment of Native Americans. After more than 100 years of fierce frustration and struggle, both the area and the National Bison Range were returned to Salish and Kootenai in 2020. The bison are today treated with respect and are generally better off than before.
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