Pitfalls and Pipelines: Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries

The surviving lands of indigenous peoples include many of the most vulnerable and threatened ecosystems on our planet. Indigenous peoples have always made clear that they are culturally, spiritually, and economically interlinked with those lands. They, however, continue to suffer abuse of their rights, because of the desecration of these ecosystems that they hold sacred. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than with regard to the extractive industries. Taking as its point of departure the inputs to and outcomes from the 2009 Manila Conference on extractive industries and indigenous peoples, this book, through case studies from around the world, summarises some of the impacts from extractive activities on indigenous communities. The latter part of the book seeks to explore how indigenous peoples are responding to extrative industries, working up from local struggles to the international arena. The book pays particular attention to review legal strategies and complaint mechanisms. In doing so it becomes a handbook reviewing what communities should be aware of, and what actions can be taken.