Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities must be included in agreement to protect biodiversity

In their opening statement to COP15, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB) enforced the message that a successful Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) must respect, promote, and support the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities to save nature.

Evidence to support this idea is readily available. The most recent IPBES sustainability report found that policies supporting Indigenous tenure rights, equitable access to fisheries and forests,  and poverty alleviation create the conditions for the sustainable use of wild species.

Indigenous lands harbor 80% of the world’s biodiversity despite making up only 20% of global territory.

“Only by recognizing the rights, knowledge, innovations, and values of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities will we be able to push forward the global agenda to sustainably use and conserve biodiversity,” Nuri continued.

The IIFB later stated that the implementation of the global biodiversity framework must be based on scientific evidence while respecting the principles of free, prior, and informed consent.

The IIFB encourages all parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity to enshrine the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities within the GBF and adopt a framework that will truly allow humanity to live in harmony with nature by 2050.