Blog #2 - Environmental Change is Threatening Indigenous People

Indigenous people are groups of people around the world who are not readily affected by modernization. These people do not have the technology and advancement that we do, so how do they survive? Well, these Indigenous people use the environment to their advantage. They use plants and animals around them to create medicine and supplies that they use every day. This knowledge has been pasted down for generations and is what is keeping them alive. Recently, a team of researchers investigated how the environment shapes medicinal plant used in indigenous cultures. This team of international researchers studied twelve ethnic groups from Nepal, a country in the Himalaya's that has outstanding cultural, environmental and biological diversity. They recorded what plants were used in different cultures and were also used in traditional medicine. They want to understanding the relationship between environment and traditional knowledge, so they can then understand how cultures have responded to changes in the environment in the past.

In their research, they discovered that not only is climate change affecting plants and animals around the world, but also humans in general. Without these natural medicine and animals, some of these Indigenous tribes will surely die out. Others may be able to adapt to what is happening or they even might try to attempt modernizing. We rely so much of synthetic, inorganic medicines that we have lost sight of how natural remedies can help us too. Yes, modern medicine has been amazing but what if these people have found herbal remedies that cure cancer or other diseases? As a developed, modern, globalized society, we feel as though we should automatically put ourselves above these people. As we continue to strip natural resources from these people, we are destroying another group’s culture. These people are living the way they want to and we should not be putting that in jeopardy.