Indigenous and local community-led conservation, tenure, finance, and on-the-ground stewardship for durable biodiversity outcomes
Indigenous & Community Stewardship
As the global biodiversity crisis deepens, the role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in safeguarding the planet’s biological and cultural wealth remains unequivocally central. Building on significant advances from 2024 through mid-2026, recent developments have further solidified the recognition that durable biodiversity outcomes depend on Indigenous tenure, leadership, and community-driven stewardship. These strides come amid persistent and emerging challenges—ranging from intensifying human–wildlife conflicts to tenure insecurity and complex socio-political pressures—highlighting the intricate realities of scaling just, effective conservation rooted in Indigenous governance.
Expanding Indigenous Tenure and Co-Governance: Reinforcing Foundations for Resilience
The past two years witnessed pivotal expansions in legal recognition and governance authority for IPLCs, enhancing their capacity to protect and restore ancestral lands:
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Land Returns Fuel Ecological and Cultural Revival:
In late 2025, the Klamath Tribes in the United States reclaimed a critical 10,000-acre corridor along the Klamath River, a watershed historically impacted by dams and pollution. This landmark land return is pivotal for salmon habitat restoration, blending traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with modern science. Tribal leaders emphasized, “Our land is our life; restoring it restores our people,” underscoring how Indigenous sovereignty nurtures both cultural identity and ecosystem resilience in a globally significant river system. -
Scaling Indigenous-led Finance and Governance Platforms:
The Indigenous Stewardship Climate Fund (ISCF) expanded its reach, channeling increased philanthropic and private capital to projects across the Amazon, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and East Africa. By providing flexible, community-governed financing, ISCF supports long-term stewardship beyond typical grant cycles, empowering IPLCs to pursue restoration and conservation on their own terms.
Concurrently, the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Committee (IPAC) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) evolved from advisory to a co-creative governance body, granting IPLCs genuine decision-making power. This shift embeds Indigenous worldviews and priorities into the core of global biodiversity policy, advancing equity and inclusivity in conservation governance. -
Legal Affirmation of ICCAs and OECMs:
More nations have formally recognized Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), increasing their incorporation into national biodiversity strategies by over 15%. This trend affirms IPLCs as primary stewards of some of the world’s most biodiverse and intact ecosystems, reinforcing tenure security and enabling autonomous community governance models.
Measurable Ecological and Social Gains Across Biomes
IPLCs continue to demonstrate how the integration of Indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches yields substantial conservation successes across diverse ecosystems:
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Mangrove Restoration in the Philippines:
Indigenous communities in Mindanao expanded mangrove coverage by 30%, significantly improving coastal biodiversity, blue carbon storage, and resilience to climate impacts. Secure tenure and management rights were key enablers for community-led restoration. -
Southern Brown Kiwi Recovery in New Zealand:
The Kiwi Coast Indigenous-led pest eradication program realized a 20% population increase in Southern Brown Kiwis, showcasing how community-driven, culturally grounded stewardship can reverse species declines through adaptive management. -
Marine Biodiversity Revival in American Sāmoa:
Customary no-take marine zones, governed by Indigenous authorities, have successfully restored giant clam populations, exemplifying traditional marine governance as a model for sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation. -
Landscape and Wildlife Recovery in Tanzania:
Strengthened community tenure and participatory governance have reversed degradation and stabilized wildlife populations, delivering socioeconomic benefits while enhancing ecological connectivity. -
New ICCA Recognition and Co-Governance Models:
In 2026, Ghana’s Kurja Guardians secured ICCA status for the Maltiti Grove, unlocking access to national funding and technical support. Meanwhile, Nepal formalized a co-governance agreement with the Indigenous Chepang community, pioneering inclusive governance for Himalayan biodiversity.
Persistent and Emerging Challenges
Despite these advances, significant hurdles remain that threaten the realization of durable, equitable conservation:
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Human–Wildlife Conflict Hotspots in Kerala, India:
The Union Ministry of Environment flagged 30 human–wildlife conflict hotspots, with Wayanad district recording the highest incidents. These conflicts jeopardize both community livelihoods and conservation outcomes, underscoring the urgent need for secure tenure, equitable benefit-sharing, and adaptive co-governance that harmonizes Indigenous knowledge with scientific monitoring. -
Tenure Insecurity and Land Rights Fragmentation:
IPLC territories remain vulnerable to encroachment by extractive industries, agribusiness, and infrastructure projects. Fragmented or contested tenure undermines long-term stewardship, ecosystem integrity, and community well-being. -
Barriers to Equitable Finance and Monitoring:
While funds like ISCF scale, many remote or smaller communities face challenges accessing flexible, sustained financing and integrated monitoring tools that blend Indigenous knowledge with scientific data for adaptive management. -
Incomplete Power-Sharing in Policy Arenas:
Despite institutional progress, numerous IPLCs remain relegated to advisory or symbolic roles within governance forums, limiting their influence over decisions impacting their lands and rights. -
Intersecting Pressures from Crime and Extraction in Latin America:
A 2025 report highlights that Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in Latin America increasingly confront rising crime, illegal extraction, and socio-political tensions, threatening tenure security and ecological gains. These complex realities reveal the delicate balance between conservation aspirations and on-the-ground challenges.
New Scientific Evidence Reinforces IPLC Stewardship as a Conservation Imperative
Recent research lends compelling support to the centrality of IPLC stewardship in conservation policy:
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A landmark 2026 study published in Discover Animals documents that the Amazon rainforest is experiencing climatic extremes unseen in millions of years, accelerating degradation risks. The study underscores Indigenous tenure as a frontline defense against deforestation and biodiversity loss, reinforcing the urgency to secure IPLC stewardship.
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Fieldwork in Zimbabwe’s Sengwa Wildlife Area reveals escalating human–wildlife–livestock conflicts, illustrating the intricate challenge of balancing IPLC livelihoods with wildlife conservation. Findings emphasize the need for adaptive co-governance frameworks that respect Indigenous rights while integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern management tools.
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Additional evidence indicates that traditional Indigenous management often outperforms national park protections in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem health, strengthening the argument for centering IPLC stewardship in conservation strategies globally.
Strategic Pathways Forward: Rights-Based and Collaborative Conservation
To consolidate progress and address persistent barriers, coordinated, rights-based actions are essential:
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Fast-track Legal Recognition and Enforcement of Indigenous Tenure:
Secure land and resource rights are the bedrock of durable stewardship, enabling IPLCs to resist dispossession and sustainably manage ecosystems. -
Institutionalize Co-Governance Models with Genuine Decision-Making Authority:
Embedding IPLCs as equal partners in governance at all levels ensures Indigenous priorities shape conservation policies and outcomes. -
Scale Equitable, Direct, and Flexible Financing:
Funding mechanisms must empower communities with long-term resources tailored to their stewardship needs. -
Integrate Indigenous Knowledge into Scientific Monitoring and Adaptive Management:
Collaborative participatory monitoring enhances stewardship accountability while honoring Indigenous worldviews and methodologies. -
Strengthen Accountability and Enforcement in Global Biodiversity Frameworks:
Binding safeguards are critical to uphold IPLC rights and conservation commitments, preventing backsliding amidst competing interests.
Conclusion: Indigenous and Local Stewardship as a Cornerstone of Biodiversity Resilience
IPLCs steward at least a quarter of the world’s terrestrial lands, many of which harbor the planet’s richest reservoirs of biodiversity and cultural heritage. Their stewardship—anchored in deep cultural values, sustainable resource use, and intergenerational responsibility—remains a proven and resilient strategy essential to confronting accelerating biodiversity loss and the climate crisis.
The momentum of land returns, institutional reforms, financing innovations, and community-led conservation successes from 2024 through 2026 illustrates a clear imperative: Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities must be central architects—not mere participants—of conservation’s future. Only by securing Indigenous rights, tenure, leadership, and equitable resources can the global community achieve durable, just, and effective biodiversity protection—ensuring the intertwined survival of nature and culture in a rapidly changing world.