Decolonizing nature conservation according to natural law: learning from the Kogui

Abstract

With rising concerns over the failed outcomes of global conservation strategies and the militarization of environmental monitoring and enforcement, there is an urgent need for decolonizing nature conservation. This article examines the position of Indigenous peoples as rights-and-knowledge-holders in this discourse and the vital role they play in biodiversity conservation globally. I present a 2018 case study of the Kogui Indigenous peoples of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia, one of the last remaining examples of a sustainable biocultural system. My results demonstrate that the success of the Kogui is largely defined by their: (a) nature-based cosmovision, (b) strong cultural identity related to that cosmovision, and (c) functioning governance system ordered by Natural Law. These findings stand as beacons to reframe the nature conservation paradigm and help humanity re-find and re-connect with our place in, and relationship with, both the material and non-material worlds.