Indigenous Peoples in nature conservation

What have IUCN Members called for?

Indigenous Peoples hold tenure or management rights over a significant portion of the planet’s protected areas and ecologically intact landscapes (Garnett et al. 2018). They have acted as stewards of nature since time immemorial, protecting their lands from ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. The recognition of Indigenous rights in environmental policies and regulations, however, dates back to recent decades. Since the 1990s, numerous Resolutions and Recommendations on Indigenous issues have been adopted by IUCN Members at IUCN General Assemblies and World Conservation Congresses, helping pioneer and advocate for this movement on the global stage.

As early as 1994, Recommendation GA-1994-19.22 ‘Indigenous Peoples’ and Resolution GA-1994-19.23 ‘The importance of community-based approaches’ urged States and local authorities to ensure full participation by Indigenous Peoples in decisions concerning protected areas. In 1996, the 1st IUCN World Conservation Congress in Montreal built on these achievements, with Recommendation WCC-1996-1.43 ‘Public participation and the right to know’ underlining the need for legally binding measures to guarantee public participation, access to information and justice. That same Congress saw the adoption of Resolutions calling for the collaborative management of protected areas, as well as respect for Indigenous cultural diversity, including linguistic diversity and intellectual property rights.

Later Resolutions called for further integration of Indigenous Peoples into conservation efforts by adopting a new paradigm for protected areas centred on equity and human rights. The concept of Indigenous and community-conserved areas formally entered international discourse with the adoption of Resolution WCC-2008-4.049 ‘Supporting Indigenous conservation territories’ at the 2008 IUCN Congress in Barcelona.

Another major shift occurred at the 2016 Congress in Hawaii, when IUCN Members approved governance reforms to create a new membership category for Indigenous Peoples’ Organisations (IPOs). This was the first time IUCN reformed its membership structure, doing so specifically to meet the demands of Indigenous Peoples. IUCN’s governance approach shifted from allowing Indigenous input and participation to acknowledging Indigenous agency and authority, as IPOs were now empowered to exercise their full rights as Members, including the right to propose Resolutions, thereby helping to set the global conservation agenda.

At the 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, Indigenous Peoples participated for the first time as a distinct voting bloc, and amendments were adopted to the IUCN Statutes to create an elected Indigenous Councillor position on IUCN’s Council. More recently, at the 2025 IUCN Congress in Abu Dhabi, a new train of Resolutions was adopted focusing on Indigenous leadership and sacred sites, Indigenous languages, traditional knowledge and cultural heritage and the concept of restorative justice.

What was achieved?

Over time, IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations have helped rewrite the narrative on the role of Indigenous Peoples in conservation, pushing for the recognition of Indigenous communities as rights holders and governing partners rather than just affected parties or beneficiaries.

IUCN’s Resolutions and Recommendations in the 1990s and early 2000s helped build momentum for the landmark adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) by the UN General Assembly in 2007. The declaration was endorsed by IUCN at the 2008 Congress in Barcelona, alongside the adoption of a dedicated Resolution requiring that UNDRIP principles be observed throughout IUCN’s work.  

IUCN’s 2016 governance reform was later mirrored by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which IUCN is a technical advisor. At the CBD COP16 in 2024, a permanent subsidiary body on Indigenous Peoples and local communities was established within the CBD, a structural shift that IUCN had long advocated for and modelled within its membership and its Council. Similarly, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework recognises Indigenous Peoples as key custodians of biodiversity in several of its targets, requiring the recognition of their rights and participation in spatial planning, restoration, protection and decision-making – a status long advocated for by IUCN.

Through its partnership with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), IUCN has also actively promoted the incorporation of Indigenous perspectives and values into ecosystem assessments, an approach that the IPBES adopted in 2017.  

Traditional ecological knowledge is increasingly being integrated alongside scientific data in IUCN initiatives. For example, the integration of Indigenous knowledge into the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM assessments is being explored across various taxonomic groups. (IUCN 2022) In its role as the official advisory body under the World Heritage Convention on nature, IUCN has also promoted and supported significant advances in improving the World Heritage Operational Guidelines to include Free, Prior and Informed Consent processes and safeguards for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and values in World Heritage.  

By setting the direction of IUCN’s work programme, IUCN Resolutions and Recommendations are advancing rights-based governance across the efforts of the Union, thus mainstreaming Indigenous participation and leadership in initiatives across the global conservation community. IUCN’s Environmental and Social Management System and its Standard on Indigenous Peoples mandate active measures to help Indigenous groups defend their rights and require that they receive timely, accurate information regarding projects affecting them.

The mainstreaming of Indigenous rights and roles in protected area management is also being advanced through the IUCN Global Standard for Effective and Equitable Protected and Conserved Areas, a key element of which is the recognition of Indigenous Peoples' rights as framed by UNDRIP.  

What still needs doing?

Despite recent advances, more work is needed to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ full and meaningful inclusion in governance processes, particularly at the national level. The Global Biodiversity Framework requires countries to update their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with an increased focus on Indigenous rights and direct participation in decision-making. However, many Indigenous Peoples perceive a lack of influence over the process (AIPP 2026). The Podong Indigenous Peoples Initiative, led by IUCN and the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, is working with governments to ensure NBSAPs acknowledge Indigenous rights. As a result, 15 countries recognised the roles, rights and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in conservation and included them in their NBSAPs and other related policies as of October 2025. 

Additionally, it is crucial to ensure direct and dedicated funding for Indigenous Peoples, invest in strengthening their capacity, and support Indigenous-led conservation and climate solutions, recognising their governance and knowledge systems. A Resolution adopted in Jeju in 2012 calls for global funding mechanisms to strengthen recognition and support for Indigenous-led conservation, a necessity that remains current.

The Global Biodiversity Framework recognises Indigenous and Traditional Territories as a “third pathway” to achieving its target of effectively conserving at least 30% of the Earth’s land, water and seas by 2030. Meeting this target will require bolder ambition, far greater engagement and increased recognition of Indigenous Peoples' contributions – with IUCN playing a key role in spearheading these efforts. 

Where can I get more information?

• Global Indigenous Agenda for the Governance of Indigenous Lands, Territories, Waters, Coastal Seas and Natural Resources.
• IUCN IPOs Self-determined Strategy.
• WWF and IUCN WCPA (2023). 30x30: A Guide to Inclusive, Equitable and Effective Implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.