Recognizing Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights and agency in the post-2020 Biodiversity Agenda

Abstract

The Convention on Biological Diversity is defining the goals that will frame future global biodiversity policy in a context of rapid biodiversity decline and under pressure to make transformative change. Drawing on the work of Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, we argue that transformative change requires the foregrounding of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights and agency in biodiversity policy. We support this argument with four key points. First, Indigenous peoples and local communities hold knowledge essential for setting realistic and effective biodiversity targets that simultaneously improve local livelihoods. Second, Indigenous peoples’ conceptualizations of nature sustain and manifest CBD’s 2050 vision of “Living in harmony with nature.” Third, Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ participation in biodiversity policy contributes to the recognition of human and Indigenous peoples’ rights. And fourth, engagement in biodiversity policy is essential for Indigenous peoples and local communities to be able to exercise their recognized rights to territories and resources.

Linking Conservation, Community Knowledge, and Adaptation to Extreme Climatic Events: A Case Study in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique

“…This can be linked to the TEK that these communities have on some tree species recognized as beneficial in climate regulation and important for rainfall. TEK can favor conservation as long as there is a support process for the communities [44]. In other words, supporting policies are needed in conservation and management processes to assist the actions that best favor the communities' wellbeing and the protection of nature.…”

Reconciling Conservation and Global Biodiversity Goals with Community Land Rights in Asia

“…This recognition of rights is a means to empower agency, autonomy, traditional practices, and ancestral knowledge that are central to their adaptive environmental contributions. 34 Promoting Indigenous and community governance over biodiverse lands will cost a fraction of the financial burden of mainstream approaches.…”

Inevitable epistemological conflict: Reflections on a disagreement over the relationship between science and indigenous and local knowledge

“…In their initial paper, Reyes-García et al ( 2022a ) argue for integrating indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) into biodiversity science, echoing other environmental scientific rhetoric (cf. Singleton et al 2021 ).…”

“…To Reyes-García et al, ILK comprises a body of knowledge which contains information valuable to both science and society, which should, thus, be integrated and protected. ILK is “holistic”, having “multiple values”, and thus, a good source of environmental ethics ( 2022a , p. 86). However, many of their examples of IPLC-scientist collaborations actually describe IPLC gathering data useful to western science, rather than autonomous IPLC knowledge systems or processes.…”