GLOBAL INDIGENOUS: A fight for forest health in the Congo

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Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
ICT
Around the World: Money meets morals in forest fight in Central Africa, First Nations experts spearhead media and language dialogue in Australia, Aeta community protest shuts down Mt. Pinatubo tourism, and Cree radio network launches puppet show teaching Cree language.
CENTRAL AFRICA: Money meets morals in forest fight
A new international initiative aiming to conserve the world's most pristine tropical forests has been launched, with a strong focus on Central Africa, home to some of the planet's most vital ecosystems and Indigenous communities, the WSC Newsroom reported on April 28.
Backed by a coalition of influential funders, including Bank of America, the Central Africa Forest Initiative, the Good Energies Foundation, and the UBS Optimus Foundation, the High Integrity Forests Initiative seeks to accelerate investment in the protection of high-integrity tropical forests through a new global financial mechanism.
Spearheaded by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the High Integrity Forests Initiative is designed to support large-scale forest conservation while ensuring that local and Indigenous communities are central to the planning, implementation, and benefits of forest stewardship. The initiative aligns with global climate goals and growing recognition that halting deforestation is essential to avoiding climate catastrophe.
'High-integrity forests store vast amounts of carbon, support biodiversity, and provide livelihoods for millions of people, particularly Indigenous and local communities who have cared for these lands for generations,' said Dr. Emma Stokes, Wildlife Conservation Society Vice President for Field Conservation. 'With (High Integrity Forests), we aim to bring scalable, long-term investment to forest protection that is inclusive, transparent, and accountable.'
According to the Wildlife Conservation Society, high-integrity forests make up less than half of the world's remaining tropical forests but are disproportionately important in terms of climate stability, clean water, and biodiversity. These forests are also under growing pressure from logging, agriculture, mining, and infrastructure development.
The High Integrity Forests Initiative will channel funding into projects that prioritize forest integrity, community rights, and conservation outcomes. Central Africa, including the Congo Basin, which contains the second-largest tropical rainforest in the world, is expected to be a key focus area due to its ecological significance and ongoing threats from extractive industries.
Funders emphasized that this initiative is not just about protecting trees, but about investing in the future of the planet and the people who depend on these ecosystems. 'We're committed to financing solutions that meet both environmental and human needs,' said a spokesperson from Bank of America.
By integrating Indigenous leadership, scientific monitoring, and climate finance, the High Integrity Forests Initiative represents a major step toward sustainable, community-led forest preservation on a global scale.
AUSTRALIA: First Nations experts spearhead media dialogue
The 2025 Indigenous Languages Symposium, held recently, centered on revitalizing and adapting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in the digital age, the National Indigenous Times reported on April 30.
The 2025 Indigenous Languages Symposium, hosted by the Queensland State Library's Indigenous Language Project, brought together language experts, academics, and community leaders to explore how language preservation intersects with digital innovation.
Keynote speakers Michael Running Wolf and Tanya Denning-Orman offered powerful insights into the role of technology and media in revitalizing First Nations languages.
Michael Running Wolf, an AI ethicist from the Northern Cheyenne and Lakota nations, opened the event with a keynote titled 'Creating a First Languages Reality Using Regenerative AI Practices.' He emphasized the importance of empowering Indigenous youth through culturally grounded tech education, drawing from his work with the Lakota AI Code Camp. There, he teaches software engineering with respect for cultural knowledge and traditions.
'We need to empower our youth to take control of technology,' he said, highlighting the barriers many communities face, such as poor internet access. He stressed that tools must align with Indigenous worldviews and values. Running Wolf also praised the Māori community's success in building an Indigenous language AI model, proving that technological advancement is achievable even with limited data.
Tanya Denning-Orman, a proud Birri and Guugu Yimidhirr woman and SBS's First Nations Director, followed with her keynote, Our Lingo, Our Way: The Rise of First Nations Languages Through Australian Media. She reflected on her childhood in central Queensland, where Indigenous presence in media was nearly invisible. Her experiences fueled a commitment to changing representation.
'I knew that media was powerful, and I wanted to change the way we were represented,' she said, according to National Indigenous Times.
Denning-Orman emphasized the deep connection between language and culture, and the critical role of Indigenous-led media in preserving both. She celebrated successes like the bilingual series True Colors, aired in both Aranda and English, which connected with diverse audiences. She noted how platforms like NITV give Indigenous people the power to share stories and languages on their own terms.
'Seeing and hearing our languages on TV connects us to our culture and our communities,' she said, according to National Indigenous Times.
Both speakers stressed that while technology and media offer valuable tools, the heart of language revival lies within the communities themselves.
'Technology is a tool,' Running Wolf reminded the audience. 'The real work is in the community and the belief in our languages.'
Denning-Orman agreed: 'We're not just preserving our languages—we're making them thrive in the modern world.'
The symposium also featured sessions on digital archives, school-based language immersion, and hands-on digital storytelling workshops. Presenters from AIATSIS and regional centers shared strategies for safeguarding recordings, transcriptions, and teaching materials. Educators from Cape York discussed successful models of early childhood language integration.
Throughout the day, one message stood out: the future of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages depends on the blending of cultural leadership, community initiative, and thoughtful use of digital tools.
PHILIPPINES: Protest shuts down Mt. Pinatubo tourism
In a powerful stand on May 4, the Aeta community in Capas, Tarlac blocked access to the Mt. Pinatubo crater, protesting the continued neglect of their rights amid a surge in tourism, GMA Integrated News reported on May 4.
Their action called attention to the lack of fair compensation and formal recognition of their ancestral lands. In response, the Department of Tourism urged tourists to adhere to the local government's suspension of travel and tourism-related activities at Mt. Pinatubo in Botolan, Zambales, acknowledging the urgent need to listen to the voices of Indigenous communities who have long been sidelined.
Executive Order No. 05 s. 2025, ordering the 'Suspension of All Tourism-related Activities, Programs, and Projects at Mt. Pinatubo until Further Notice,' officially took effect on May 2, 2025. The move came after members of five Ayta clans from Capas, Tarlac, blocked access to the Mt. Pinatubo crater in late April to voice long-standing concerns about the lack of fair compensation and recognition of their ancestral domain.
In a statement posted on social media, the Department of Tourism expressed support for the local government's decision, saying: 'The (Department of Tourism) acknowledges the significant role that Mt. Pinatubo plays in the local tourism industry and fully supports the actions taken by the Botolan LGU under Mayor Jun Omar C. Ebdane.'
The department also assured the public that the concerns raised by the Aeta community are being taken seriously: 'Likewise, the Department puts utmost consideration on the concerns raised by the five Ayta clans from Capas, Tarlac, during a recent consultative session organized by the Department of Tourism Central Luzon Office and various stakeholders.'
The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, which has been actively coordinating with the Aeta community and local stakeholders since October 2024, confirmed that some community members were briefly taken into custody during the protest but released the same day without charges. The agency questioned the legality of the arrests, stating:
'We are seeking explanation from the law enforcement authorities on the propriety of taking into custody of the Indigenous Peoples who are peacefully airing their grievances within the four corners of their ancestral domain.'
In a follow-up statement, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples emphasized that the Aeta protest is a wake-up call for inclusive and respectful engagement:
'The actions of the Aeta community underscore the need for meaningful dialogue on ancestral land rights and equitable tourism practices.'
CANADA: Cree radio network supporting language revitalization
The James Bay Cree Communications Society is debuting a puppet show to inspire both youth and adults to listen to and speak the Cree language, CBC News reported on May 03.
John and Friends is a new bilingual puppet show created by the James Bay Cree Communications Society to help kids feel confident learning Cree.
'We're trying to bridge the gap,' said Samuel MacLeod, who voices Morley the Moose. 'There are a lot of kids nowadays who don't speak a lot of Cree. We're trying to teach them how and that it's okay to be learning.'
The show features a colorful cast: John, a Cree elder who lives in the bush; Mary-Ann, a Cree woman; Ghaline the Goose; crows Ka and Kachoo; and Morley the Moose, who speaks mostly English and is learning Cree. 'My character is the actual bridge,' MacLeod explained. 'The point of Morley the Moose is so people can say, 'Oh, I can relate to this character.''
The show is primarily in Cree with English subtitles, making it easier for all viewers to follow and learn. The debut episode includes special guests demonstrating how to make traditional bannock and bead earrings.
'Kids are a lot more locked into their screens, so video representation really matters now more than ever,' said MacLeod.
Founded in 1981 and broadcasting since 1986, James Bay Cree Communications Society is a nonprofit radio network that shares Cree news across nine northern Quebec communities. But with younger audiences shifting toward video, the organization is adapting.
'They just wanted to put a show out there for the kids who are glued to their screens and teach them at the same time,' said MacLeod.
Producer Jason Swallow, who also works with James Bay Cree Communications Society, emphasized the shift in how youth consume content. 'We are aiming at the younger generation now since they will be our next audience,' he said. James Bay Cree Communications Society now shares video content, including 'John and Friends,' through platforms like Facebook.
'Younger generations are more involved in their technologies, right – making video and whatnot. And so that's where we're aiming at now,' Swallow added.
Swallow recalls the joy of childhood TV and sees this project carrying a similar spirit. 'It almost brings nostalgia when I used to watch shows like Sesame Street,' he said. 'This would be a great way to teach children in schools.'
It took three weeks to produce the 30-minute pilot episode, a process that included learning video editing, scriptwriting, and green screen techniques. MacLeod watched the final cut with his son, who quickly pointed to Morley the Moose as his favorite.
'I hope that they take the language with them,' MacLeod saids. 'We're losing our language really rapidly.'
More episodes are in the works. 'We're trying to teach kids and show that learning can be fun,' he said. 'When you're learning and you stumble, it's all part of the process.'
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are in Central Africa where the launch of the High Integrity Forests Initiative feels like one of those rare moments. After decades of extraction, exploitation, and empty promises, it is a deep relief to see global financial giants finally backing a model that centers Indigenous peoples and forest guardians. This is not charity. It is not symbolic. It is justice. It is the long-overdue acknowledgment that those who have cared for the world's lungs for generations are the best placed to defend them.
There is a real reason to commend what is taking shape. Bank of America, CAFI, the Good Energies Foundation, and the UBS Optimus Foundation could easily have stayed on the safer, profit-driven path – but instead, they are choosing to invest in life itself. Backing Indigenous-led conservation efforts in Central Africa is more than environmental stewardship; it is a statement about the kind of world we want to build. If done with integrity, High Integrity Forests could prove that finance, for once, can fuel healing instead of harm.
But let's be clear: the dangers are real. Too many so-called conservation initiatives have, in practice, displaced Indigenous communities, erased cultures, and enforced new forms of colonialism under the banner of environmentalism. If High Integrity Forests is allowed to slip into the old mistakes – greenwashing, exclusion, broken promises – it will not just fail. It will wound trust in ways that cannot easily be repaired.
The only way forward is radical accountability, real Indigenous leadership, and a deep respect for the idea that protecting forests is not about saving trees alone – it is about saving the spirit, the culture, and the future of humanity itself.
Without Indigenous hands to guard them, even the oldest forests will fall to silence.
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