ICCA Consortium announces upcoming report on Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ territories of life

19 May 2021–The ICCA Consortium is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of its first-ever local-to-global report on the state of territories of life.

Territories of Life: 2021 Report shines a spotlight on 17 outstanding examples of how Indigenous peoples and local communities contribute to the diversity of life on Earth through their governance systems and cultural practices – from bringing a critically endangered species back from the brink of extinction in a small community in China to conserving hundreds of thousands of hectares of tropical rainforest and watersheds in the Amazon. It highlights some of the leading examples of grassroots initiatives and policy and legal recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights and community conservation  in select national contexts. It also features the most up-to-date global analysis of how much of the planet is likely conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities, produced in collaboration with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

The report adds to a growing body of literature on the leading role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in local-to-global conservation efforts. It also points to the central importance of recognizing and upholding their rights, particularly to their collective lands and territories and self-determined ways of life, and of supporting their visions and priorities for current and future generations. The necessary counterpart of positive recognition and support is halting threats to and violence against communities and their territories, particularly from industrial drivers of biodiversity loss and top-down conservation measures. Key recommendations and a framework for action are directed to policymakers involved in the negotiation of the UN’s post-2020 global biodiversity framework, which is expected to shape conservation law and policy for the next decade.

Another important feature of this report is that the authors of the community and national case studies are from and based in the respective countries and have worked closely with the community custodians for many years. Several of the cases were co-authored by community leaders or their representative organizations  and went through extensive consultations to provide their free, prior and informed consent  to the publication.

In conjunction with the International Day for Biological Diversity, Indigenous peoples and local communities invite government officials, conservationists and the general public to join the online launch event on 20 May at 13:00 UTC to learn more about their experiences and opportunities for action.

Contact
Kathia Carrillo
Campaigns and Multimedia Coordinator
ICCA Consortium
kathia [at] iccaconsortium [dot] org
WhatsApp / Signal: +51 945894234

Note to Media Outlets and Journalists
Case study authors and Indigenous and local community leaders are available for interview.

About territories of life
Territories of life, also known in some contexts as ICCAs, are territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities. They are as diverse as the peoples and communities who shape and sustain them through their unique cultures, governance systems and practices.

About the ICCA Consortium
The ICCA Consortium is a global association, currently with 178 grassroots and non-profit organizations and 421 Honorary members belonging to and supporting Indigenous peoples and local communities and the movements for their collective rights, justice and equity in conservation.

About this report

Territories of Life: 2021 Report is a multimedia report composed of local, national, regional and global analyses of territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world, with recommendations for the post-2020 global biodiversity framework currently under negotiation. It is produced by the ICCA Consortium and hosted at https://report.territoriesoflife.org. The 2021 report is the first in a regular series.

Register for the launch event on 20 May: https://cutt.ly/RegisterTLReport

19 May, 2021
Posted in News, Press releases