#CommunitiesSpeak NTFP-EP

In this episode, we sit down with Gordon John Thomas, a Dusun Tatana, Kuala Penyu from Sabah, Malaysia. He is the Programme Coordinator of PACOS Trust (Partners of Community Organizations in Sabah), a community-based organization dedicated to supporting indigenous communities in Sabah. We discuss their work supporting Indigenous peoples in establishing their community protocols, and how such protocols significantly contribute to the conservation of their territories and biodiversity.

For this episode, we spoke with Pirawan Wongnithisathaporn from the Karen indigenous group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. "Pi", as she is known to many,  grew up in the forest where their culture, beliefs, and identity are intertwined. She works as Environment Programme Officer for the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), a member and partner of NTFP-EP, and the CSO Forum on Social Forestry in ASEAN.

We talked about her personal stories and work with AIPP and how they help indigenous peoples and local communities to defend themselves, their natural resources, land, and biodiversity from these negative pressures. She also shared her views on ways where we can support IPLCs in protecting their territories and biodiversity, what is at stake for IPLCs in the upcoming post-2020 biodiversity framework, and why is it crucial for them to be engaged and be part of these negotiations.

In celebration of this years' Earth Day, we are honored to have a conversation with John Vincent "Toto" Colili, an indigenous youth leader of the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Katutubong Kabataan (SNaKK) in Palawan, Philippines. We discuss their initiatives that contribute to restoring and protecting their forest ecosystems in their ancestral land. Toto also shares his experience, challenges, and advice to fellow youth on the importance of participating and organizing on environmental issues along with some thoughts on youth engagement for healthy forests and healthy earth.

Produced by: NTFP-EP HIVE
Hosted by: Dazzle Labapis of NTFP-EP Asia and Gaby Alegre of NTFP-EP Philippines
Edited by: Jon Robin Bustamante, NTFP-EP Asia
Music: Lake Victoria by Antti Luode (CC BY 3.0 license)
For questions and suggestions: hive@ntfp.org