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Report urges govts to recognise indigenous communities as key partners in biodiversity conservation – EnviroNews
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A new report has called on governments to strengthen the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities and recognise them as equal partners in biodiversity conservation, warning that inadequate accountability and transparency could undermine global efforts to achieve biodiversity targets by 2030.
The report, Local Biodiversity Outlooks 3 (LBO-3), presents 56 case studies authored by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, alongside expert analysis, highlighting their contributions to protecting nature and the barriers preventing them from expanding conservation efforts.
Released ahead of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), scheduled to begin in Armenia, the report urges governments to close the gap between international commitments and implementation on the ground.
It argues that community-led conservation is essential to the successful implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which sets out global targets for halting and reversing biodiversity loss by 2030.
According to the report, Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be treated as key collaborators in biodiversity conservation rather than being excluded from decision-making processes that affect their territories and livelihoods.
“Parties need to recognise Indigenous Peoples and local communities as key and equal collaborators – alongside governments and other societal actors – in the implementation of the KMGBF,” said Joji Cariño of the Centres of Distinction on Indigenous and Local Knowledge (COD-ILK).
The report provides an alternative perspective to the CBD’s draft Global Review, which was shared earlier this year and assessed countries’ progress towards implementing the biodiversity framework.
While the Global Review draws primarily on national reports submitted by governments and the CBD’s agreed monitoring framework, LBO-3 examines implementation from the perspectives of communities directly involved in protecting biodiversity.
Drawing on 56 community-led case studies, data from the Indigenous Navigator, national reporting analysis and recent research, the report documents experiences and contributions that may not be adequately captured by national and global reporting systems.
Ramiro Batzin, Co-President of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, said the report highlights the knowledge, experiences and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities through practical examples of conservation at local and territorial levels.
“LBO-3 highlights the vision, experiences and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities for biodiversity conservation through concrete examples at local and territorial levels. It promotes mutual learning and alliance building to contribute towards a future where biodiversity conservation and human well-being go hand in hand,” Batzin said.
Communities Protect Significant Share of Global Biodiversity
The report underscores the importance of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to global conservation efforts, noting that their customary lands cover approximately 5.5 billion hectares, representing 42 per cent of the world’s lands.
These territories also harbour at least 36 per cent of global key biodiversity areas, highlighting the significant role communities play in protecting ecosystems and species.
Despite their contributions, the report identifies substantial gaps between the rights protections and safeguards promised under the KMGBF and the realities communities experience during implementation.
It points to weaknesses in the framework’s monitoring system, which allows governments to report conservation activities without necessarily providing sufficient evidence of their effectiveness or demonstrating whether communities are genuinely participating in decision-making.
As an example, the report notes that 62 per cent of countries rated their progress highly against Indicator 22b, which concerns creating enabling conditions for inclusive and rights-based participation.
However, evidence presented by Indigenous Peoples and local communities in LBO-3 raises questions about whether such assessments accurately reflect the experiences of people on the ground.
The report therefore calls for stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms to ensure that government assessments of progress correspond with the realities of biodiversity conservation and community participation.
Land Grabs, Rights Violations Threaten Conservation
Beyond weaknesses in monitoring and reporting, LBO-3 identifies structural barriers that continue to undermine community-led conservation efforts.
These include land grabs driven by corporate interests, violations of community rights in the name of conservation, and the criminalisation of people defending their territories against external encroachment.
According to the report, such practices threaten both human well-being and biodiversity by weakening the ability of communities to protect the ecosystems on which they depend.
It warns that continuing with existing approaches without addressing these challenges will make it more difficult to achieve the KMGBF’s targets.
The report consequently urges governments participating in the CBD to establish stronger partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and local communities, protect their rights and ensure their meaningful participation in conservation planning, implementation and monitoring.
It also calls for more transparent reporting and effective accountability measures to determine whether countries are delivering on their commitments under the global biodiversity framework.
Call for Action Ahead of COP17
With COP17 approaching, the report urges governments to use the conference to strengthen the implementation of the KMGBF by addressing the disconnect between international commitments and the experiences of communities.
It maintains that recognising community rights and knowledge is not merely a social consideration but a fundamental requirement for effective biodiversity conservation.
The report acknowledges the KMGBF’s emphasis on rights and safeguards as an important development in international conservation policy but warns that these commitments must translate into concrete action.
Without stronger protections, transparent monitoring and accountability, it cautions, the framework’s ambition to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 could be jeopardised.
The report concludes that governments must move beyond business-as-usual approaches and work in genuine partnership with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to protect biodiversity.
It warns that the global biodiversity framework, despite its progressive commitments, risks failing to deliver its objectives unless governments demonstrate accountability and ensure that the rights and contributions of communities are recognised in practice.
