GUARDIANS OF LIFE:
Indigenous Stewards of Living Earth

Though Indigenous peoples account for only 5 percent of the global human population, they continue to fulfill their ancestral obligations of caring for their homelands across more than a quarter of the Earth’s surface, which supports more than 80 percent of the planet’s remaining biodiversity

As even the very basic global conservation and sustainable development goals remain elusive, it is becoming abundantly clear that humanity must re-examine its fundamental assumptions about biodiversity conservation, sustainability, and climate change. Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being offer practical examples and meaningful guidance for how to sustain a healthy, respectful, and reciprocal relationship with Living Earth.

Guardians of Life: Indigenous Stewards of Living Earth is intended to be a rich, in-depth, storytelling initiative seeking to nurture the global recognition of the critical role Indigenous peoples play in sustaining biological and cultural diversity, as well as adapting to and abating climate change. The initiative upholds the inherent rights of Indigenous peoples to care for their ancestral lands and waters, and seeks to build a movement that would broadly benefit and sustain life on planet Earth for all.

Co-created in partnership with an award-winning National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan and Braided River publishing, the  Guardians of Life book and visual impact campaign take readers on a transformative journey to places and people living “in relationship” with their ancestral homelands. Vivid portraits of Indigenous men and women, youth and elders, hunters and farmers, spiritual leaders and craftsmen will reveal their ways of knowing and working with the land. These are concepts and skills that have been taught for generations and are based on a foundational veneration for life—which is at the heart of caring for a living planet. The Guardians of Life will be a captivating and powerful account that illuminates Indigenous worldviews, stories, and stewardship from Indigenous communities in North and South Americas, Asia, and Australia.

“The future of our planet lies in Indigenous ways of living on Earth. As a global community, we have lost our way… Indigenous peoples have mastered the art of living on the Earth without destroying it. They continue to teach and lead by example. We must heed these lessons, if we want our grandchildren to have a future.”

Jon Waterhouse, S’Klallam, Chippewa-Cree, Indigenous Peoples Scholar, National Geographic Education Fellow Emeritus & Explorer