TV adventurer and author Benedict Allen is to open a conference on indigenous people and cultures being held in Bristol next month.

The adventurer, whose travels through harsh environments and encounters with the people who live there formed the basis of series including The Edge of Blue Heaven and Ice Dogs, will launch the Indigenous Perspectives Conference at the Pieran Centre in Portland Square, St Paul's, on October 12.

The one-day event is set to bring together representatives of indigenous cultures from all over the world along with campaigners and academics.

It celebrates the 2nd anniversary of the UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and coincides with the 40th year of Survival International, a human rights organisation campaigning for the rights of indigenous tribal peoples.

It also takes place on Columbus Day, the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas and the start of European colonisation.

The conference will cover cultures including the Jumma of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the Mapuche of Chile, the Emberá of Panama, West Papua, Tibet, the Kiribati islands of Micronesia, and the Yagan and Kawesqar peoples of Tierra del Fuego.

Speakers booked range from senior academics to individuals who have been jailed and beaten for defending their culture.

Anyone interested in attending should call 0117 924 4512 or e-mail info@pieriancentre.com for more information.