COGITO Talks… Roots of Wisdom: Indigenous Perspectives for Policy Makers

The 2025 OECD Report Reinforcing Rural Resilience reveals that OECD regions have seen a significant loss of forests, with approximately 10% of their forest cover disappearing between 2000 and 2020. This decline is driven by a combination of factors, including land conversion for agriculture, urban expansion, and the increasing demand for natural resources. Some countries and regions have experienced even more severe losses, particularly in areas where deforestation and forest fires have been widespread. This loss of forest cover has profound implications for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the overall health of ecosystems highlights the changes in forest cover across different OECD countries and regions, providing a snapshot of the environmental challenges faced by rural areas. To discuss solution-based approaches to this issue, we do not need to necessarily turn to new innovations or technologies, but rather we can look to past wisdom of indigenous knowledge in how to care for nature in a long-sustaining manner. To discuss such approaches, Shayne MacLachlan from the OECD sits down with two impressive scholars, Edson Krenak from Cultural Survival, Brazil and Adwoa Serwaa Ofori, from University College Dublin. This conversation took place at the 2025 OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference, Rural-Urban Connections: Pathways to Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Have a listen. To learn more, visit OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference and the OECD's work on Rural Development. Find out more about Cultural Survival and Citizen Rural Research Lab. To learn more about the OECD, our global reach, and how to join us, go to www.oecd.org/about/ To keep up with latest at the OECD, visit www.oecd.org/ Get the latest OECD content delivered directly to your inbox! Subscribe to our newsletters: www.oecd.org/newsletters