Indigenous Peoples Must be Central to Tackling the Climate Crisis

As leaders from around the globe gather for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 26), it is vital that they recognize two important facts. The first is that we cannot reach climate goals without protecting and sustainably managing the carbon-absorbing forests that cover a third of the Earth’s land surface.

The second is that we cannot protect forests without Indigenous Peoples. We know that forests do better when indigenous land rights are respected, with lower deforestation rates and carbon emissions. Currently, Indigenous Peoples and local communities manage at least 24% of the total above-ground carbon stored in the world’s tropical forests. Without them, we cannot win the race to save the planet.

The good news is that there has been a recent sea-change towards recognition of the role that Indigenous Peoples must play for a healthier planet and the achievement of many of the SDGs, including Goal 13 (climate action) and Goal 15 (life on land). The deeply intertwined and rapidly worsening climate and biodiversity crises have started to convince major philanthropists of the need to take action and put Indigenous Peoples and local communities in the driving seat.

Last month, nine grantmakers from prestigious foundations pledged USD 5 billion for conservation efforts that address threats to biodiversity and help curb climate change, and they committed to taking a new approach: working with Indigenous and local communities. One of the grantmakers, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, suggested that past conservation efforts had failed precisely because they did not include local and Indigenous Peoples. Bezos said the nine foundations, his Bezos Earth Fund among them, would not “make the same mistakes,” and would support a new generation of programmes led by local communities.

We have also seen some positive moves by governments to recognize the central role of Indigenous Peoples for climate mitigation and nature conservation. It was announced last month that the World Heritage-listed Daintree tropical rainforest in northern Australia will officially be returned to its traditional owners, the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, who will manage the area in partnership with regional government.

But there is work yet to be done. Next week’s UN Climate Change Conference must recognize and support the more than 476 million Indigenous Peoples living in 90 countries and the vital role they play in protecting our natural resources and helping us to reach climate goals.

Governments must step up to the plate by committing funding to Indigenous Peoples’ territorial rights and forest management, especially in tropical countries. Multilateral trust funds, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), must also increase their attention to, and funding for, Indigenous Peoples.