Nigeria, Oct. 28 -- Indigenous Peoples and civil society groups have called on the United Nations to halt the monetisation of sacred animals and nature as "natural capital" for carbon and biodiversity markets, warning that the practice could contribute to wildlife extinction.

The groups made the call on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ongoing 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.

They expressed concern that animals such as buffalo, jaguars, orangutans and whales were being incorporated into offset schemes that, they argued, could allow oil and mining companies to portray themselves as environmentally responsible without addressing the damage caused by the...