Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have been among the most effective stewards of biodiversity since time immemorial. The IPBES global assessment clearly documents the critical role that IPLCs play in biodiversity conservation, noting that 35% of the areas formally protected and 35% of all remaining terrestrial areas with very low human intervention are traditionally owned, managed, used, or occupied by Indigenous Peoples.
IPLCs must be full partners in developing and implementing the entire post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the global strategy that countries around the world are developing through the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The same is true for specific targets, including the proposal to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. Achieving this global target will only be possible with the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and with full recognition of their rights.
There is growing support from countries, philanthropists, and civil society in advancing a rights-based approach to biodiversity conservation that can benefit the natural world and support human rights. The following highlights some of this progress, while also underscoring where more support and action is needed.
Governments are Recognizing the Key Role of IPLCs in 30x30
The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC for Nature and People), a group of over 85 countries championing the 30x30 global target, has consistently highlighted the importance of recognizing Indigenous rights and engaging Indigenous Peoples and local communities as full partners. As just one example, the countries included the following as a core principle when first announcing their intergovernmental coalition in January 2021:
“Indigenous Peoples and local communities are protectors of the most biodiverse sites in the world. To effectively and equitably meet this increased target, they should be engaged as partners in the design and management of these conserved areas, ensuring free, prior and informed consent and alignment with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The HAC for Nature and People has created a task force to address Indigenous people and local communities' concerns and promote Indigenous wisdom in the CBD negotiations. This task force has initiated a dialogue with the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity.”
There is Still a Need to Explicitly Protect IPLC Rights in 30x30 Target
Increasingly, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity are proposing to strengthen the 30x30 target and the overall global biodiversity framework to more explicitly protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
This movement is in response to calls from the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) and other Indigenous leaders to explicitly ensure free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in the 30x30 target. Some countries have supported this recommendation, as have organizations leading the push for 30x30 like Campaign for Nature (see the Campaign for Nature intervention from the last CBD negotiation).
Historically, and in some cases still today, some protected areas have created conflict with Indigenous Peoples and local communities and led to rights violations, including forced evictions. Adding explicit safeguards for IPLC rights to Target 3 would be the single most effective way to show that 30x30 will diverge from past mistakes and align with human rights in its implementation, which is important from both a biodiversity and a moral perspective.
The CBD negotiations in Geneva in March 2022 present a critical opportunity for more countries to embrace these recommendations.
Increasing Funding to IPLCs to Advance Rights and Support 30x30 Implementation
Governments, philanthropists, and the private sector have committed to increase their financing for biodiversity. At the UN General Assembly in 2021, in an unprecedented announcement, nine philanthropic organizations launched the “Protecting Our Planet Challenge” and pledged $5 billion to protect and conserve 30% of the planet by 2030 by supporting protected areas and Indigenous stewardship of their territories.
This marks the largest-ever philanthropic commitment to nature conservation and serves as an important example of how the 30% target could be aligned with human rights.
Separately, environmental and Indigneous rights organizations are working together to develop new financial mechanisms and raise funding to support advancing IPLC rights as a key way to help achieve 30x30.
As one example, in January 2022, Campaign for Nature and Rights and Resources Initiative launched the Community Land Rights and Conservation Finance Initiative (CLARIFI), which has been designed to help deploy government and philanthropic funding to scale up the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ rights. The initiative aims to raise USD $10 billion between now and 2030 to achieve three goals: 1) help protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 by adding 400 million hectares to Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’ legally recognized territories; 2) reduce deforestation to help reach the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement; and 3) increase these communities’ legal land ownership to at least 50% of all tropical forests.
How Conservation Can Benefit Biodiversity and IPLCs
There are numerous examples of how advancing conservation can help advance Indigenous rights. Likewise, there are many examples of Indigenous stewardship that show how promoting Indigenous governance can help achieve biodiversity outcomes. The following are just a few examples:
According to the Rapa Nui community leader Ludovic Burns Tuki, the creation of a large marine protected area around Easter Island helped the Rapa Nui progress toward the recognition of their ancestral rights and vision for the environment. Mr. Burns Tuki leads the community group Te Mau or Te Vaikava, which has officially endorsed the global 30% ocean target.
British Columbia First Nations have expressed their desire to help lead efforts to achieve Canada’s commitment to 30x30. They are asking for action from the provincial government to support them in advancing Indigneous Protected Areas, noting that Indigenous groups are working hard to develop solutions to the global climate crisis, biodiversity crisis and to advance equity for Indigenous peoples.
In 2011, a new national law in Guyana made it possible for the Wai-wai peoples to apply to add their territory to the National Protected Areas System. Their goal was to protect their lands from intruders--such as loggers or miners--and receive funds from the Protected Areas Trust Fund to sustainably manage their lands. In 2017, the Kanashen Amerindian Protected Area (KAPA) was established--home to the source of one of the largest rivers in South America, the Essequibo River. Managed by a village council and a team of rangers, KAPA ensures that the Wai-wais can protect this river and the surrounding lands. They are now working on a new eco-tourism project to attract visitors to the area.
Another example is in Colombia where Afro-Colombian local communities have secured the Isla Ají marine protected area (24,600 hectares of coastal, terrestrial and marine ecosystems on Colombia’s Pacific coast) contributing to Colombia’s 30x30 goal.
Quotes from Indigenous Leaders on 30x30 and the Need for a Rights Based Approach
There is a growing number of Indigenous leaders who are supportive of 30x30 so long as it fully safeguards Indigenous Peoples rights and promotes a rights based approach to conservation. The following are just a few quotes from leaders on the topic.
Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Coordinator of the Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad, and member of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee:
“There must be recognition of the 80% of biodiversity that Indigenous peoples are conserving already and the 30x30 initiative is a good complementary idea as long as it is done with the free prior and informed consent and in partnership with indigenous peoples, respecting them and their rights and traditional knowledge that we know are essential to effectively protect nature and provide for people.”
(Her statement was made during a high-level event on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2021.)
Deb Haaland, US Secretary of the Interior:
“The goal of protecting 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean should also apply to the United States. Protecting more land and water across our country will create new jobs, increase access to the outdoors for underserved communities, protect Indigenous lands, and preserve the spectacular landscapes that reflect America’s character and diverse cultures.”
(Her statement was made prior to her appointment as Secretary, when she was an honorary member of Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee.)
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, Nia Tero Board Chair & Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples:
“Investing in the rights of Indigenous peoples and their guardianship of territory is one of the most important, and most overlooked, strategies for addressing the existential threats of climate change and biodiversity loss. As an organization committed to securing Indigenous guardianship of thriving ecosystems, we applaud these leading-edge funders for dramatically expanding support of this essential pathway to achieve the 30x30 targets.”
(Her statement was made in response to the nine philanthropic organizations that launched the "Protecting Our Planet Challenge.”)
Ramiro Batzin, Co-coordinator of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB):
“Global experts have made it clear that advancing rights is the best opportunity for the future of a healthy and sustainable planet. Although much more needs to be done, there are some encouraging signs that governments, philanthropists, and others are getting the message.”
(His statement was made in an October 2021 op-ed.)
Valérie Courtois, Director, Indigenous Leadership Initiative:
“Canada has vowed to protect 30% of lands and oceans by 2030 and slash carbon emissions. It has also pledged to foster equity and sustainable development. Indigenous Nations stand ready to partner on these goals. We are honouring our responsibility for the land in ways that are good for people and the economy. With added investment, Indigenous Nations can help Canada emerge from the pandemic as a leader in economic recovery, conservation, and climate action.”
(Her statement was made in an April 2021 op-ed.)
Steven Nitah, lead negotiator for Lutsël K'é Dene First Nation and senior leader of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative:
“Instead of old approaches, where a national government engineers and delivers a program “on behalf of” Indigenous peoples, Indigenous-led conservation is built from the ground up, with Indigenous nations in the lead, including those long responsible for the land and accountable to youth, elders and future generations. Through this new model of ethical, equitable conservation and by building lasting partnerships with Indigenous peoples, the U.S. and Canada can leverage the knowledge and understanding of local people to fight the existential threats facing climate and nature.”
(He made his statement in a March 2021 op-ed.)