Philippine Indigenous land dispute tied to carbon credits raised before UN expert

The Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC) presented a land dispute involving an Indigenous community to United Nations Special Rapporteur Astrid Puentes during the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan.

The LRC reported that the Kirinteken-Ilentungen Menuvu community in the southern Philippines is in a dispute over land claimed as an ancestral domain. The group stated that Kennemer Foods International operates a banana plantation on this land using ownership titles that conflict with the community's Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title. Leon Dulce, the LRC campaigns support and linkages coordinator, said the company has received benefits from carbon and biodiversity credits while operating on the disputed territory.

Dulce noted that current regulations do not prevent environmental projects from overlapping with land conflicts or causing human rights violations. The LRC stated that the conflicting land titles provide the company with legal legitimacy and social acceptance over the area in question.