Urgency and Opportunity: Addressing Global Health, Climate, and Biodiversity Crises by Scaling-Up the Recognition and Protection of Indigenous and Community Land Rights and Livelihoods

Abstract

The legal recognition and protection of the land and territorial rights of Indigenous Peoples (IPs), local communities (LCs), and Afro-descendants (ADs) offers one of the most reliable, efficient, and equitable solutions to the pursuit of global climate and biodiversity commitments and the realization of a safer and more resilient world for all. Backed by a robust body of research showing the transformative socio-ecological impacts of community-based tenure security, new analyses now confirm the global extent of community lands and the tangible opportunities within countries to dramatically accelerate the legal recognition and protection of the customary land and resource rights of communities.