GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Indigenous rights advocate Jean La Rose has sounded an alarm over what she described as the continued exclusion of Indigenous peoples from major decisions affecting their lands, communities and future, warning that expanding extractive activity, environmental degradation and weaknesses in education are threatening Indigenous life in Guyana.

La Rose, Executive Director of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), made the remarks on Friday at “Ina Maimu Yetatokon (Listen to Our Voices)”, an APA-sponsored event held at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.

La Rose, who joined the APA in 1994, was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize in 2002 for her work defending Indigenous lands from mining, securing recognition of traditional land rights and protecting Guyana’s forests.