Climate change mitigation and forest conservation are intricately linked to the rights and livelihoods of Indigenous peoples and traditional communities. While these forest communities are increasingly recognized as key partners for forest conservation, often governments have struggled to recognize their rights, help them defend their lands from outsiders, consult them and generally improve their livelihoods. There is a need, and opportunity, to find better and faster ways of recognizing Indigenous peoples and forest communities’ land rights and human rights, including them in decision-making processes, and replicating the government-community partnerships that have been pioneered in the State of Acre, Brazil and elsewhere.
Our Strategy
Indigenous peoples and traditional communities are on the frontlines of forest conservation and climate change mitigation. Earth Innovation Institute seeks to better integrate them into climate change mitigation strategies, bringing more benefits to these communities and facilitating greater control over those benefits to meet their needs and aspirations. We do this by promoting partnerships between Indigenous peoples and traditional communities and local governments in tropical forest regions.
We work to secure a seat at the decision-making table for Indigenous and community representatives. Together, we are advancing a common agenda with governments, Indigenous peoples and local communities to secure the rights and livelihoods of forest guardians while slowing climate change. We believe that the future of climate change mitigation and adaptation will run on the power of partnerships.