Forcing “development” or “progress” on tribal people does not make them happier or healthier. In fact, the effects are disastrous. The most important factor by far for tribal peoples’ well-being is whether their land rights are respected.
Move your cursor over the pictures below (or tap on mobile devices) to see what tribal people say about the impact of forced development. Move your cursor away again for more information.
But it doesn’t have to be like this. When tribal people have land they have freedom to make their own choices about how they live.
For more information you can download Survival’s new short report, “Progress can kill,” and a more in-depth paper for those wanting to know more.
If they are to survive, indigenous people must control the changes they want to make to their own lives. The key to tribal peoples’ futures is to ensure their land remains under their control. Survival has helped hundreds of communities to keep their lands and fights the prejudices that suggest they need “progress”. Tribal peoples who live on their own land are invariably healthier, with a far better quality of life than the millions of impoverished citizens marginalized by growing inequality.