Wishtoyo’s International Program operates in the international law, policy, financial institution, and advocacy arena to achieve substantial protection of the environment through collective and coordinated international advocacy, education, and legal action by and with Indigenous Peoples and our partners that fight for the world, its people, and the environment.

Indigenous Peoples not only have the standing and right to protect the natural cultural resources essential to their survival, but have a powerful needed message and knowledge of sustainability that must be heard and understood by the world in order for humankind to undergo the behavioral changes necessary to preserve the resources necessary for our future generations. Our program not only seeks to protect the rights, resources, and culture of Indigenous Peoples around the world, but also to significantly elevate the impact of Indigenous Peoples in protecting the environment that all peoples depend upon.

Climate Change Impacts Focus

Wishtoyo’s International Program is particularly focused on projects that have a significant impact on preventing and mitigating climate change, which poses disproportionately severe impacts on Indigenous Peoples, including the Chumash Native American tribes, bands, and clans in the areas around Wishtoyo’s home in Ventura, California.

Irreparable climate change impacts from human caused global warming that harm the Chumash People’s heritage, culture, life-ways, and cultural practices with increased severity, include, but are not limited to:

(1)  rising sea levels that inundate and destroy Chumash sacred maritime cultural sites, villages, ceremonial sites, and ancestral grounds in coastal areas;

(2)  ocean acidification resulting from increased burning of fossil fuels and changing land uses exceeding the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon that is jeopardizing and eliminating natural maritime resources and organisms the Chumash Peoples depend upon to continue cultural practices and sustain connection to their ancestors;

(3)  warming of local temperatures and changes in precipitation resulting in increased severity and durations of droughts that deplete the flows in rivers and streams needed to sustain plant and animal life (natural cultural resources) necessary for traditional Chumash crafts such as basketry, to build Chumash dwelling units called “Aps”, for cultural items needed for ceremonial use, and to continue sacred Chumash cultural practices and ceremonies;

(4)  changes in precipitation resulting in increased severity and durations of droughts that result in decreased water supplies needed to sustain the lifeways and culture of Chumash Peoples; and

(5)  warming of local temperatures and changes in precipitation resulting in catastrophic fires of increased severity and frequency that decimate Chumash sacred cultural sites, villages, ceremonial sites, ancestral remains, and cultural natural resources essential to the maintenance of Chumash lifeways, ceremonies, and cultural practices in the traditional range of the Chumash Peoples.