UNDER THREAT
Across the world, traditional, tribal, and Indigenous communities are fighting to preserve their cultures, lands, and ways of life in the face of modern pressures. From deforestation and forced displacement to cultural erosion and economic hardship, these groups face challenges that threaten their very existence. UNDER THREAT shines a spotlight on these communities, sharing their stories of resilience, resistance, and survival. Through in-depth features, interviews, and on-the-ground reports, we bring attention to the urgent issues they face, amplifying their voices and fostering global awareness.
SPOTLIGHT
The Maasai People (Kenya & Tanzania)
Threats: The Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania face increasing threats to their traditional way of life due to land encroachment, climate change, economic pressures, and cultural erosion Government policies favoring conservation, tourism, and large-scale agriculture have led to the forced displacement of many Maasai from ancestral lands, despite their historical role as natural stewards of the environment.
Climate change has made pastoralism more challenging, pushing younger generations toward urban migration, where they often lose connection to their heritage. Additionally, land restrictions and sales to private investors further marginalize Maasai communities, limiting their ability to sustain themselves. Meanwhile, education policies and societal shifts encourage assimilation into modern lifestyles, accelerating the decline of traditional customs and oral traditions. Despite these challenges, the Maasai continue to resist displacement, advocating for their land rights and cultural survival, representing a broader struggle Indigenous communities face worldwide.
Key Groups at Risk: Maasai pastoralist communities traditionally living in the Serengeti and surrounding regions.
The Dongria Kondh (India)
Threats: The Dongria Kondh of India, an Indigenous community residing in the Niyamgiri Hills of Odisha, face severe threats to their land, culture, and way of life due to mining, deforestation, and economic pressures. Their deep spiritual and cultural connection to Niyamgiri, which they revere as a sacred mountain, is under constant threat from bauxite mining projects, particularly from corporate and
government interests seeking to exploit the region’s rich mineral resources. Deforestation and environmental degradation not only disrupt their sustainable farming and forest-based livelihoods but also endanger the biodiversity of their homeland. Economic and societal pressures, including state-led initiatives promoting "development" and assimilation, threaten to erode their traditional practices and self-sufficient way of life. Despite these challenges, the Dongria Kondh have fiercely resisted displacement, notably winning a landmark legal battle to protect Niyamgiri in 2013, yet continued mining interests and policy shifts pose ongoing risks to their existence and cultural identity.
Key Groups at Risk: The Dongria Kondh of Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills, a sacred site central to their spiritual beliefs.
The Sami People (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia)
Threats: The Sámi people, the Indigenous inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, face mounting threats to their land, culture, and traditional livelihoods, particularly reindeer herding, which has sustained them for centuries. Industrial expansion, mining, logging, and wind farms are encroaching on their ancestral lands, disrupting grazing routes and threatening the delicate Arctic ecosystem they
depend on. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges, altering migration patterns and making it harder for reindeer to find food. Government policies and assimilation efforts, including historical bans on the Sámi language and forced relocation, have already eroded parts of their cultural identity, and modern legal battles over land rights continue to marginalise them. Additionally, the rise of tourism and commercialisation often distorts their traditions, reducing their rich heritage to a marketable spectacle rather than a living culture. Despite these pressures, the Sámi continue to fight for land rights, cultural preservation, and environmental protections, striving to maintain their distinct identity and sustainable way of life in the face of ongoing challenges.
Key Groups at Risk: Sami reindeer herders and Indigenous communities across Sápmi.
The Batwa People (Uganda, Rwanda, DR Congo, Burundi)
Threats: The Batwa people, one of the oldest Indigenous groups in Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi, face severe threats due to land dispossession, marginalisation, and cultural erosion. Traditionally, forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers were forcibly evicted from their ancestral lands in the name of conservation, particularly in the creation of
national parks to protect mountain gorillas. Stripped of their traditional way of life, many Batwa now live in extreme poverty and social exclusion, with limited access to education, healthcare, and employment. Discrimination and legal exclusion further marginalise them, as they are often denied land rights and political representation. Without access to their forests, their spiritual and cultural traditions—deeply tied to the land—are rapidly disappearing. While some initiatives aim to support Batwa cultural preservation and economic empowerment, ongoing land rights struggles and lack of government recognition continue to threaten their survival as a distinct people.
Key Groups at Risk: The Batwa (often referred to as "forest people"), originally hunter-gatherers of the Great Lakes region.
The Aché People (Paraguay)
Threats: The Aché people of Paraguay, once nomadic hunter-gatherers of the Atlantic Forest, face ongoing threats from land dispossession, deforestation, and cultural assimilation. For decades, they have been forcibly removed from their ancestral lands, often through violent displacement and illegal land grabs, as vast areas of the forest are cleared for cattle ranching, logging, and agriculture.
This destruction not only erodes their traditional way of life but also severs their deep spiritual connection to the land, which is central to their identity. Many Aché have been pushed into poverty and dependency, forced into settlements where economic hardship and limited access to healthcare and education threaten their future. Historical atrocities, including enslavement and massacres, have left lasting scars, while modern assimilation policies pressure younger generations to abandon their language and customs. Despite these challenges, the Aché continue to fight for land rights, cultural survival, and self-determination**, striving to reclaim their heritage in a rapidly changing world.
Key Groups at Risk: The Aché, one of the last Indigenous hunter-gatherer groups of Paraguay.
The Penan People (Malaysia - Borneo)
Threats: The Penan people of Borneo, Malaysia, are among the last nomadic hunter-gatherers in Southeast Asia, but deforestation, land grabs, and government assimilation policies severely threaten their way of life. The rapid expansion of logging, palm oil plantations, and infrastructure projects has devastated the rainforests they depend on for food, shelter, and cultural identity.
As their lands shrink, many Penan are forced into settlements, where they struggle with poverty, loss of traditional knowledge, and limited access to education and healthcare. Government policies promoting assimilation pressure younger generations to abandon their customs, while land rights battles often leave the Penan marginalised and without legal protection. Despite decades of resistance, including pioneering the use of blockades against logging companies, the fight to preserve their forest, language, and traditions remains urgent as industrial expansion continues to threaten their survival.
Key Groups at Risk: The Penan, traditionally nomadic rainforest dwellers of Sarawak, Borneo.
Palestinian People
Threats: The Palestinian people face ongoing threats to their land, culture, and identity due to conflict, displacement, and restrictions on movement and economic development. Decades of territorial fragmentation, forced evictions, and military occupation have led to the loss of ancestral lands and the erosion of traditional ways of life. Settlements, border controls, and infrastructure projects continue to divide Palestinian communities, making access to homes,
farmland, and cultural sites increasingly difficult. Economic hardship and political instability have further strained daily life, limiting access to education, healthcare, and employment. Meanwhile, cultural heritage is at risk, as historical sites face destruction or appropriation, and restrictions on language, art, and expression threaten to dilute Palestinian identity. Despite these immense challenges, Palestinians continue to resist displacement, preserving their heritage through storytelling, art, music, and grassroots activism, striving to maintain their cultural identity against the pressures of loss and marginalisation.
Key Groups at Risk: Palestinian communities in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Adivasi Tribes of India (Gonds, Santhals, Bhils.)
Threats: The Adivasi tribes of India, including the Gonds, Santhals, and Bhils, face escalating threats from land dispossession, deforestation, industrial expansion, and cultural assimilation. As some of the oldest Indigenous communities in India, they have traditionally lived in forests and rural areas, practicing sustainable agriculture, hunting, and traditional crafts. However, large-scale
mining, dam projects, and deforestation have displaced thousands, forcing many into urban poverty or government resettlement schemes that often fail to respect their cultural identity. Legal battles over land rights, coupled with government policies that classify Adivasi lands as state property, have further marginalised these communities. Economic pressures and modern education systems erode traditional languages, customs, and oral histories, while political underrepresentation** limits their ability to defend their rights. Despite these challenges, Adivasi groups continue to resist through grassroots activism, legal advocacy, and cultural preservation efforts, striving to protect their lands, heritage, and way of life in an increasingly industrialised world.
Key Groups at Risk: Dongria Kondh (resisting bauxite mining), Baiga (displaced by conservation policies), and the Great Andamanese (whose population has dwindled significantly).
The Indigenous Peoples of Papua (Indonesia & Papua New Guinea)
Threats: The Indigenous peoples of Papua, spanning Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, face growing threats from deforestation, land exploitation, militarisation, and cultural erosion. In Indonesian-controlled West Papua, large-scale mining, palm oil plantations, and infrastructure projects have led to widespread land grabs and environmental
destruction, displacing Indigenous communities who have lived sustainably in the region’s rainforests for generations. Military crackdowns and political repression further endanger their rights, as resistance to land exploitation is often met with violence and intimidation. Meanwhile, deforestation and industrial expansion in Papua New Guinea threaten both biodiversity and the survival of traditional ways of life. Economic pressures and modernisation policies push younger generations toward assimilation, causing the loss of Indigenous languages, knowledge, and spiritual traditions. Despite these challenges, Papuan Indigenous communities continue to resist, fighting for self-determination, environmental protections, and the survival of their unique cultures in one of the most resource-rich but contested regions on Earth.
Key Groups at Risk: Dani, Asmat, Korowai (famous for treehouse dwellings), and other smaller Papuan tribes.
The Amazonian Indigenous Tribes Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, etc.
Threats: The Amazonian Indigenous tribes of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and beyond face escalating threats from deforestation, illegal land grabs, industrial expansion, and violence. The relentless push for logging, mining, cattle ranching, and large-scale agriculture has led to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest, displacing Indigenous
communities and devastating their traditional ways of life. Many tribes, including uncontacted groups, face existential risks as their lands are encroached upon by illegal settlers, drug traffickers, and extractive industries, often with little to no protection from governments. Violence against Indigenous leaders and activists who defend their lands is on the rise, making environmental and cultural preservation an increasingly dangerous struggle. Meanwhile, climate change, loss of biodiversity, and government policies promoting economic development over Indigenous rights threaten not just the survival of these communities but the entire ecosystem they protect. Despite these grave challenges, Amazonian tribes continue to resist through legal battles, activism, and sustainable conservation efforts, fighting to protect their lands, cultures, and the future of the world's largest rainforest.
Key Groups at Risk: Yanomami, Asháninka, Guarani-Kaiowá, and uncontacted tribes like the Awa and Kawahiva.
Indigenous peoples in Panama.
Threats: The Indigenous peoples of Panama, including the Guna, Emberá, Wounaan, Ngäbe, Buglé, Naso Tjër Di, and Bri Bri, face growing threats from land dispossession, climate change, and industrial expansion. Despite legal recognition of their comarcas (autonomous Indigenous territories), many communities struggle against government policies, illegal land encroachment, and infrastructure projects that undermine their rights.
Deforestation for logging, mining, and agriculture continues to degrade their ancestral lands, threatening both their livelihoods and the biodiversity they have long protected. Additionally, rising sea levels due to climate change pose an urgent crisis for coastal communities, such as the Guna, who are being forced to relocate from their islands in the Caribbean. Cultural assimilation pressures, limited political representation, and economic hardships further challenge Indigenous autonomy and traditions. However, these Indigenous groups remain resilient, fighting for land rights, environmental protection, and the preservation of their languages, customs, and self-governance in the face of ongoing threats.
Key Groups at Risk: There are seven Indigenous groups of Panama: the Ngäbe, the Buglé, the Guna, the Emberá, the Wounaan, the Bri bri, and the Naso Tjërdi.
Balik People of East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Threat: The Balik people, the original Indigenous inhabitants of East Kalimantan, are facing forced displacement due to the construction of Indonesia’s new capital city, Nusantara. This ambitious project, intended to ease congestion in Jakarta, comes at a heavy cost to Indigenous communities, whose ancestral lands are being cleared for urban development. Many Balik families lack formal land titles, making it easier for authorities to relocate them without fair
compensation. The loss of their traditional territory threatens their cultural identity, livelihoods, and social cohesion, as those who are displaced often struggle to adapt to urban environments where their customs and traditions have little space to survive. Deforestation is another major concern, as large tracts of forests, farmland, and sacred sites are being cleared to make way for roads, government buildings, and housing. The Balik people, like other Dayak subgroups in Borneo, rely on these forests for hunting, fishing, and traditional agriculture, meaning their way of life is being eroded at an alarming rate. The destruction of natural ecosystems also threatens biodiversity, disrupting the delicate balance that Indigenous groups have maintained for generations.
Key Groups at Risk: Balik (Balak) people, along with Dayak subgroups in the region, whose lands are being cleared for infrastructure development.
Indigenous Peoples of the Andaman Islands, India
Threats: The Indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, including the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarwa, Shompen, and the reclusive Sentinelese, face severe threats from land encroachment, tourism, disease, and forced assimilation. Once thriving hunter-gatherer societies, these groups have seen their populations decline due to colonial exploitation, deforestation, and modern development projects encroaching
on their traditional lands. Illegal poaching and unregulated tourism pose a serious risk, particularly to the Jarwa and Sentinelese, who have minimal contact with the outside world and are highly vulnerable to introduced diseases. Government policies promoting integration and resettlement have further eroded traditional ways of life, leading to a loss of Indigenous knowledge and self-sufficiency. While some legal protections exist, infrastructure expansion, military presence, and commercial interests continue to threaten their fragile existence. Despite these pressures, Indigenous communities in the Andaman Islands resist external interference, striving to maintain their autonomy, identity, and deep connection to their ancestral lands.
Key Groups at Risk: Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarwa, and Sentinelese (who remain in voluntary isolation).
Shompen People of the Nicobar Islands, India
Threat: The Shompen, one of the world's most isolated Indigenous groups, inhabit the dense forests of Great Nicobar Island in the Indian Ocean. Their traditional hunter-gatherer and semi-nomadic way of life is under increasing threat from government-led development projects, deforestation, and loss of territory. India’s Great Nicobar Development Plan, which includes a military base, international India’s Great Nicobar
Development Plan, which includes a military base, international port, and major urban expansion, risks displacing the Shompen from their ancestral forests and disrupting their delicate relationship with the land. While officially designated as a Protected Tribe, the Shompen face rising external pressures. Infrastructure projects are pushing deeper into their territory, increasing forced contact with outsiders, leading to risks of disease, exploitation, and cultural erosion. The Indian government has historically restricted access to Shompen lands, but with growing military and economic interests in the region, conservation efforts are being sidelined. With little representation in national or international discussions, the Shompen struggle to defend their land, traditions, and identity. Without urgent intervention, they could face the same tragic fate as other Indigenous groups who have lost their lands to modern development.
Key Groups at Risk: Shompen people, along with other Indigenous Nicobarese communities.