Press Statements
STATEMENT
Key Takeaways from Major Global Biodiversity Negotiations in Geneva
Progress on 30x30 and Indigenous Rights Overshadowed by Lack of Urgency and Insufficient Ambition on Financing
After a two-year delay, government officials from around the world gathered in Geneva for two weeks of in-person negotiations on a global strategy to help stem the tide of biodiversity loss, which threatens up to one million species with extinction within decades.
While this meeting was designed to be the last before a global biodiversity agreement is finalized at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Kunming, China in September (almost exactly two years after it was initially planned to occur), an overall lack of progress has bogged down the process with too many unresolved issues, requiring another in-person negotiation to be held in June (21-26).
Despite these challenges, the meetings in Geneva did make some progress, including on the proposal to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. The following are several takeaways from the Geneva negotiations and the issue that must be resolved in the weeks and months ahead.
Areas of Progress:
An Emerging Consensus on 30x30. The proposal to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean - currently Target 3 in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework - continues to be the target with the most overwhelming support. There are now 91 members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, an intergovernmental coalition that was formed to champion the 30x30 proposal. During the negotiations several other countries expressed their support for the target for the first time. The target is a global one, not one that every country will be able to meet within their own borders, and countries that had previously questioned the target indicated their comfort with it so long as it remains clear that countries will determine their contributions in accordance with their national circumstances. One country blocked the ambition of 30% and questioned its scientific basis.. In response, numerous countries pointed to the overwhelming scientific support for the target, which indicates that 30% is the absolute minimum amount of conservation needed to curb global biodiversity loss. There now appears to be clear consensus on the major elements of this target, which many countries continue to regard as the centerpiece of the overall biodiversity agreement
New Support for IPLCs Rights and Engagement. For the first time, language was included in Target 3 to better indicate the important role that Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) must play in achieving 30x30 and to more explicitly protect their rights. Countries added the term ‘equitably governed’ in response to requests from Indigenous leaders and added the phrase ‘giving effect to the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities’ at the end of the target in order to underscore the critical point that implementation of this target must not lead to human rights violations. This is progress, but the explicit recognition of ‘free, prior and informed consent’ is what Indigenous leaders have proposed. Elsewhere in the negotiations, countries advocated for more explicit recognition and support for IPLCs, including in the context of financing. Several delegations requested that IPLCs be included as an explicit recipient of increased funding from donor countries in Target 19, alongside developing countries. While Targets 20 and 21 - which specifically address IPLC issues - need to be addressed, and Indigenous leaders are calling for additional improvements to various aspects of the global biodiversity framework, it is evident that there is now better recognition that global biodiversity goals will not be reached without IPLCs and that their rights and engagement must be more directly discussed in key targets and the overall plan.
Concerns and Issues that Must be Addressed:
An Overall Lack of Urgency. Scientific reports continue to highlight the urgency of addressing the biodiversity crisis and the interrelated climate crisis, with the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change serving as the most recent example. Unfortunately, none of this urgency was reflected during the negotiations, and a lack of progress - and in some cases even discussion - on major issues has led to the need for yet another negotiation session later this year in order for Parties to prepare for COP15.
Renewed Leadership is Needed. In order to address this lack of urgency, there needs to be a major push from world leaders to clearly indicate that confronting the escalating crisis facing our natural world is a priority and to empower negotiators to work towards achieving a global agreement. In Geneva, delegations only discussed their government’s positions, and in many meetings did not get to the important process of constructively negotiating or working towards a possible agreement. If the newly added meeting in Nairobi is to be successful, political leadership is needed from all countries and the determination from delegations, the group leads, the co-chairs, the CBD secretariat, and the COP15 presidency to drive through an effective negotiation.
Securing an Ambitious Deal Depends on Financing. Finance is the critical issue in the negotiations. It has become the basis for potential deadlock, and the overall success of the global biodiversity framework will depend on the level of ambition on financing. During the Geneva meetings, leading countries from the developing world, which will be disproportionately responsible for conserving biodiversity, made it clear what needs they have in order to be able to help implement a global strategy and expressed their concerns with the current systems and mechanisms. It is now up to donor countries to urgently rally to find serious solutions to closing the finance gap and to consider reforms and new mechanisms to create trust with developing countries and help solve this existential crisis.
Brian O’Donnell, the Director of Campaign for Nature, said:
“Unfortunately, the negotiations in Geneva have not reflected the urgency that is needed to successfully confront the crisis facing our natural world. Progress with the negotiations has been painfully slow, and the level of ambition with financing remains woefully inadequate. There is emerging consensus in support of the science-based proposal to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030, which is encouraging, and there is growing recognition of the need to better safeguard the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, who must be central to achieving the world’s biodiversity goals. However, there remain serious challenges that will require renewed leadership from governments around the world. In order for any deal to be meaningful, donor countries must commit to far more ambitious financing targets, and all world leaders will need to more clearly demonstrate that addressing the biodiversity crisis and finalizing a global agreement at COP15 is a priority for their country and for the planet.”
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Statement
On Opening of Biodiversity Negotiations, Experts Weigh in On Priorities: 30x30, Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Finance
Editor’s Note: Press briefing can be viewed here and the full transcript is available here. Interviews with the experts mentioned below are available in person in Geneva or on the phone.
Geneva, Switzerland (15 March 2022)—At a press briefing held yesterday in Geneva, conservationists and Indigenous leaders made the following statements about urgent priorities at the negotiations. The following provides excerpts of their comments.
KM Reyes, Co-Founder & Advisor of the Centre for Sustainability, Philippines**:
“So for these negotiations in Geneva to bear any impact for frontline conservationists like myself, we need a robust post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework Agreement. What does this mean? The framework must expand conservation to follow the science and ensure a target of a minimum of protecting 30% of global land and waters by 2030, explicitly respecting the Free and Prior Informed Consent of Indigenous Peoples (IPLCs) and local communities, and ensure the framework commits to directly funding IPLCs to lead biodiversity protection.
Not only are IPLCs the best conservationists of biodiversity, but we are also the most cost effective. Currently, 91% of Indigenous lands representing 32% of global lands remain in good-to-moderate ecological condition, and Indigenous Peoples protect a whopping 85% of global biodiversity. However, IPLC groups spend a fraction, between 16 and 23% of the budget the global conservation institutions do on land conservation, while delivering the same outcomes.”
There's finally identification and recognition of their contributions, and there's also now real talk about actually putting money there. That, I think, is a huge sign of hope that we've never had before. As a frontline conservationist who's been working with indigenous communities for so long, I've never had these conversations just openly in this kind of way.”
**In February 2022, a new poll conducted in the biodiverse-rich nations of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines—three of the world’s 17 mega biodiverse countries—revealed overwhelming support for a global target to protect at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030. Almost all respondents—96% in Malaysia, 98% in Indonesia and 95% in the Philippines—support the global goal, and 84% of Malaysians, 94% of Indonesians and 85% of Filipinos want their respective governments to also support the global target.
Brian O’Donnell, Director, Campaign for Nature, said:
“It’s important that the global target to protect 30% of the planet by 2030 is done in a rights-based manner that respects the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who have been among the best stewards of nature globally and whose territories house most of the world’s concentrations of biodiversity. We at Campaign for Nature are advocating that the target include specific language for free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and ensures that a rights-based approach to conservation is enshrined within the area-based conservation target.
Currently, the world spends billions and billions of dollars on subsidies that are harmful to nature, including subsidies that prop up the fossil fuel industry, and that promote unsustainable industrial-scale agriculture and fishing. And those are issues that need to be reformed, and those resources should be allocated instead towards the conservation of nature.
We also know that wealthy nations, those that have an outsized impact on biodiversity loss through their high levels of consumption and resource use have an extra responsibility in providing more resources for the conservation of biodiversity. We believe that much of this resource, as academics have shown, about 30% of the impact of biodiversity loss in the developing world can be traced back to international trade.
So we think that the same percentage of resources should go into sustainable finance for the conservation of nature. We are calling for $60 billion as a target for wealthy nations to provide developing nations as a resource mobilization target in the form of grants and to make sure that these resources are provided without strings attached and no new debts are incurred.”
It is important to note that there are many countries that do not respect Indigenous rights, and the world has a lot to do in this arena. We see frontline defenders killed in places throughout the world. And so for this framework to be successful, not only do we need these global targets, but we need countries to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to increase land titling, to increase their sovereignty, and to fund their conservation efforts. So this is an area where this framework can advance and make these targets global, but we also need to make sure that countries that have not respected Indigenous rights are held to standards to do that.”
Walter Jetz, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, said:
“There is strong evidence that a minimum of 30% of the world's lands and oceans and freshwater, if possible, should be safeguarded as a minimum target so we can address the extinction crisis. So we need these targets. We need the 30% target. We should strive for more. We should have an ambition of ultimately to protect up to half of the planet.
This is not a time for small measures. Nature does need us to be ambitious in this framework. There is abundant scientific evidence that a 30 by 30 target is needed now to stop the extinction crisis.”
We need more action in some parts of the world than in others in order to prevent wholesale species extinctions going forward that ultimately then will impact the whole planet, the function of the whole planet. So it's great to see initiatives for particularly important ecosystems.”
Valérie Courtois, Indigenous Leadership Initiative, Canada:
“In fact, in many ways we can achieve what we're calling reconciliation goals at the same time as achieving those goals around conservation. And of course, our very identity, everything that we are as people depends on our landscapes and waterscapes. And so we are very much in line with doing that. In fact, the opportunity for achieving the targets has led to Canada making significant investments in Indigenous-led conservation.
“Our Prime Minister has recognized that the only way that Canada is going to achieve its contribution to the global target is by enabling Indigenous leadership in conservation and stewardship. So this is indeed, and from my perspective, a real opportunity to do things right. Now, keeping in mind that Canada is in its entirety Indigenous, that the country of Canada was built upon 51 First Nations, 634 communities, 51 Inuit communities, 4 Inuit regions, and countless Métis nations and communities. And so it's really important for Canada to move forward, to do that in a rights-entitle based context.”
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What to Expect at Major Global Biodiversity Negotiations in Geneva
Target to Protect 30% of planet, rights of Indigenous Peoples and finance will be central points of global agreement under consideration
Geneva, Switzerland (13 March 2022)—After a two-year delay, negotiators from more than 190 countries will gather in Geneva for critical discussions around a global strategy to help stem the tide of biodiversity loss (March 13-29). This is the last time countries will discuss the agreement, known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), before the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP15). The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework has been called the biodiversity equivalent of the Paris Climate agreement.
Biodiversity in Crisis
Scientists have issued repeated warnings about the dangerous decline in biodiversity. A landmark 2019 global biodiversity assessment found that, “Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely.” The assessment warned that up to one million species face extinction, many within decades and called for transformational change to address the crisis.
Three Critical Areas to Address in Geneva
Campaign for Nature, an organization working around the world to build support for nature conservation, sees three major areas where negotiators must make progress during the Geneva negotiations:
A global target to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and inland waters and oceans. This science-based target, known as 30x30 will address both the largest drivers of biodiversity decline, habitat loss and overexploitation and help to prevent future pandemics. Additionally, the recently-released IPCC report underlined the urgent need to protect at least 30% of the planet to achieve both biodiversity and climate goals. The target has been endorsed by more than 89 countries and has been supported by numerous regional and international bodies including the G7, and World Conservation Congress
Advancing the Rights and Leadership of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) have been among the most effective stewards of biodiversity since time immemorial. The proposal to protect or conserve at least 30% of the planet’s land and ocean by 2030 will only be possible with the leadership of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and with full recognition of their rights. Negotiators must include the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) in targets and increase support and funding for IPLC land tenure.
Enhancing Finance to Meet Biodiversity Goals Closing the global biodiversity finance gap and achieving a comprehensive, ambitious and just post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will require increased financial resources from all sources and from all Parties--particularly from those countries where per-capita consumption creates disproportionate impacts on global biodiversity. Developed countries need to increase financial support for biodiversity in developing countries to at least $60 billion annually. A number of governments, philanthropists, companies and investors have demonstrated leadership in increasing their international biodiversity funding commitments, which is estimated at this stage to total over $5.2 billion per year.
Brian O’Donnell, the Director of Campaign for Nature, said:
“During a time of wars, a pandemic, and a climate and biodiversity crisis, the world is in desperate need of hope and positive leadership. The Geneva negotiations offer a chance for countries to secure a better future for all life on earth. Global leaders should support the ambitious, necessary and achievable target to safeguard at least 30% of the world’s lands and waters. They can advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and commit the funding needed to effectively address the biodiversity crisis. All the world’s people, and the natural systems on which we all depend are counting on negotiators to be bold and constructive.”
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STATEMENT
Over 20 former Heads of State, Ministers, and Environmental and Indigenous leaders Urgently Call on Governments – including their own – to back protection of at least 30% of the planet by 2030
In advance of critical biodiversity negotiations in Geneva, the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee urges ambitious nature protection, funding for biodiversity, and support for Indigenous Peoples and local communities
WASHINGTON, DC—10 March 2022—Led by former US Senator Russ Feingold and comprised of eight former Heads of State, two former Prime Ministers, six former Ministers, and four environmental and Indigenous and local experts, the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee (GSC) has released a joint statement asserting that the success of an upcoming global biodiversity agreement hinges on the adoption of the global, science-backed 30x30 target.
The statement urged governments that have not yet endorsed the global 30x30 goal to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC), a group of countries championing the target on a global scale. Many GSC members hail from countries that have not yet signed on in support of the HAC including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, Thailand, and Iceland. Currently, HAC members include over 85 countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond.
In the statement, the GSC welcomed the endorsement of the 30x30 goal in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. The UN study asserted that the protection of 30-50% of the world’s land and ocean is required for maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services at a global scale.
The GSC statement also underscored that all conservation efforts must protect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, “who know the land we seek to protect better than anyone.” The Campaign for Nature emphasizes that IPLCs must be central partners in the development and implementation of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the global agreement must ensure free, prior and informed consent is a central element of the 30x30 target.
And the GSC urged countries worldwide to seek to close the current biodiversity funding gap of US$700 billion through reduced harmful subsidies and increased global spending. They also endorsed a recent call by NGOs to developed countries to provide at least US$60 billion annually in international finance for biodiversity that would support efforts to protect biodiversity in the developing world.
The GSC released their statement on the eve of the UN Convention on Biodiversity’s third and last round of negotiations – set to take place in Geneva, Switzerland March 13-27 - before the final biodiversity agreement–known as the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework– is signed by more than 190 countries later this summer at a summit in Kunming, China.
Established in 2020, the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee (GSC) is one of the largest groups of independent global leaders working together for the protection of biodiversity and the halting of climate change.
Members of the Campaign for Nature’s Global Steering Committee have issued the following statements:
Russ Feingold, former US Senator and Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region, said:
“As former government leaders, ministers and experts, we understand that this is an ambitious commitment, but it is viable and absolutely necessary to ward off the extinction spiral and ultimately to preserve our planet and ourselves. It is also vital to acknowledge that Indigenous People are inextricably linked to biodiversity and that expanding recognition of their rights is an effective, moral, and affordable solution for conserving nature. Indigenous Peoples must be central partners in the development and implementation of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the global agreement should ensure free, prior, and informed consent in the formation and management of protected and conserved areas.”
Hailemariam Desalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, said:
“The ambition and leadership Africa has shown so far has been remarkable. But we must not falter, ahead of COP15 it is vital that the whole continent and the African Union embrace the 30x30 goal and recognize the benefits, social and economic, that it can bring.”
Graça Machel, former First Lady and Minister for South Africa, said:
“As a new member to the Global Steering Committee I am excited to be a part of this last sprint to the finish line - I am confident together we can encourage levels of ambition the world has never reached before when it comes to protecting biodiversity, especially in my home of Southern Africa.”
Loren Legarda, Philippines Deputy Speaker, said:
"I applaud the action that has already been taken to protect nature, through this collective effort to protect 30% of the world’s land and sea. I am certain it will reap benefits for generations to come.”
Susana Malcorra Former Foreign Minister of Argentina, said:
“With COP26 behind us, it might be easy to think we can take a breath. But we cannot, we do not have time. It is vital that all parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity come together at COP15 to commit to bold and ambitious targets, 30x30 included. None of our futures are certain unless we are united in this effort.”
Christiana Figueres Former Executive Secretary UNFCCC, said:
“The last year we have seen climate change and the protection of nature take prominence like never before, but there is still much work to be done. We must not be sidelined by empty promises and greenwashing. Nature-based solutions such as 30x30 offer a tangible, practical, and achievable goal to pin our efforts upon and we should all be committing to it.”
Finally, the entire Global Steering Committee also wishes to acknowledge the ongoing war in Ukraine, their thoughts and prayers are with the Ukrainian people and they, along with the wider Campaign for Nature team, sincerely hope that peace will soon return. Russ Feingold Chair of the Committee has noted:
“While we as a group came together for nature, we also stand united in our support for the Ukrainian people, for democracy and peace.”
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Notes to Editors
The full list of steering committee members can be found here. and below:
Russ Feingold, Former US Senator and former Special Envoy to Great Lakes Region of Africa
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia
Issoufou Mahamadou, Former President of Niger
Ernest Bai Koroma, Former President of Sierra Leone
Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, Former President of Iceland
Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland
Hailemariam Desalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia
Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Former Prime Minister of Uganda
Yongyuth Yuthavong, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand
Loren Legarda, Philippines Deputy Speaker
Graça Machel, Former Minister and First Lady of South Africa and Mozambique
Tzipi Livni, Former Foreign Minister of Israel
Susana Malcorra, Former Foreign Minister of Argentina
Amre Moussa, Former Foreign Minister of Egypt
Emil Salim, Former Environmental Minister of Indonesia
Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary UNFCCC
Hindou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT)
Zakri Abdul Hamid, Former Science Advisor to Prime Minister of Malaysia
Rashid Sumaila, Professor Institute for Oceans and Fisheries
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The Campaign for Nature works with scientists, Indigenous Peoples, and a growing coalition of over 100 conservation organizations around the world who are calling on policymakers to commit to clear and ambitious targets to be agreed upon at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Kunming, China in 2021 to protect at least 30% of the planet by 2030 and working with Indigenous leaders to ensure full respect for Indigenous rights.
CONTACT
For Global Steering Committee interview requests please contact:
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For Campaign for Nature interview requests and quotes, please contact:
Susan Tonassi
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Florence Wood
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30x30 and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
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.)
Support for 30x30
The majority of countries back the goals of Target 3 in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF): 89 countries are committed to protecting 30% of land and ocean as members of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; 72 countries are advocating for the protection of 30% of the world’s ocean by 2030 as members of the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA); and 93 countries have now signed the Leaders Pledge for Nature, committing to significantly increase the protection of the world’s land and ocean areas. .
Target 3: Ensure that at least 30% globally of land areas and of sea areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and its contributions to people, are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscapes and seascapes.
In August 2021, the three intergovernmental coalitions (the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, the Global Ocean Alliance and the Leaders Pledge for Nature) issued a joint declaration expressing strong support for a significant increase in terrestrial and marine protection, with 30x30 highlighted as the specific measure for ambition. Collectively, these efforts represent a majority of the world’s countries.
In February 2022, The Central American Commission for Environment and Development signed a resolution establishing regional support for the 30x30 global target. [Document available on request.]
Also in February 2022, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating, “maintaining the resilience of biodiversity and ecosystem services at a global scale depends on effective and equitable conservation of approximately 30-50% of the Earth’s land, freshwater and ocean areas.
In October 2021, the Kunming Declaration was adopted at COP15. The pact noted the growing support from countries for 30x30 and committed to increasing area based conservation, improving the effectiveness of protected and conserved areas, and recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
The 2021 G7 issued a communiqué expressing its support for the 30x30 target.
The 2021 G20 released an environment communiqué highlighting commitments made by G20 members on biodiversity conservation, including those to support the 30x30 target.
In September 2021, the IUCN World Conservation Congress:
Passed Motion 101, which highlighted the robust scientific support for increasing protected area coverage to 50% of the planet, supported 30x30 as a key target in the CBD Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and called for greater support and rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC). The motion passed with nearly 90% of the government members’ votes and with unanimous support from Indigenous organizations that voted.
Passed Motion 40, which put forward IUCN’s official position and priorities for the CBD’s Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, including strong and explicit support for 30x30. The motion passed with over 98% of the government members’ votes and with unanimous support from the Indigenous organizations’ votes.
Included support for 30x30 in the Marseille Manifesto, which was intended to capture priorities emerging from the Congress.
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 Indigenous leaders welcomed the announcement as a sign of how the 30% target could be aligned with human rights.
In 2019, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, led by 14 countries, issued an ocean action agenda that called for a global target to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
The 30x30 proposal is currently Target 3 in the United Nations First Draft of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
The 30x30 proposal is supported by the best available science, which clearly demonstrates that 30% is the absolute minimum extent of protections needed to help address global biodiversity loss, mitigate and adapt to climate change, provide essential ecosystem services and other economic benefits and reduce the risk of future zoonotic disease like Covid-19.
UNEP/WCMC found that conserving 30% of land could safeguard around half the world’s vulnerable terrestrial carbon stocks – and reduce the extinction risk of nearly 9 out of 10 threatened terrestrial species.
A Cambridge Report found that the economic benefits of protecting 30% of the planet outweigh the costs by a ratio of at least 5-to-1.
A McKinsey report found that 30 percent protected globally would support 30 million jobs in ecotourism and sustainable fisheries.