Natives fighting for nature

The Swinomish tribe from Washington, U.S., came up with a strategy to cope with the effect of climate change and now 50 other native tribes follow their lead. In one of the examples, the Swinomish work together with Sauk-Suiattle people, on restoring salmon habitat near the city of Mount Vernon. Local indigenous communities presceive clams, oysters, elks, deers, traditional plants and salmons not only as food, but as a central part of their spiritual and cultural life and practices as well.. The Swinomish’s strategy relies on various tools, among which are Indigenous Health Indicators that “considers ecosystem health, social and cultural beliefs, and values integral to a community.”

Conservation advocates, together with Native Alaskans, oppose the planned Arctic oil and gas drilling. The coalition they created approached banks and insurance companies with a request not to support the oil and gas projects fostered by the president’s Trump administration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did not grant permission for the proposed opencast Pebble Mine project planned in the Bristol Bay region, Alaska, U.S. The area is a breeding ground for salmon, and the opposition to the proposal of building the mine came from the Alaskan Native Americans, environmentalists, and the representatives of the fishing industry.