Indigenous Peoples and local communities live and manage more than half of the world’s land but they have legal ownership of only 10% of their ancestral territories. These rich biodiverse areas are vital to the people who steward them and the planet we all share. Reducing land conflict, advancing human rights, promoting development and contributing to sustainable climate solutions can all start with strengthening community tenure rights. The Tenure Facility works alongside Indigenous Peoples and local communities to advance their community land rights while sharing the knowledge, innovations and tools that emerge.
From Roots to Canopy - Annual Report 2024
In 2024, our partners secured formal recognition of land rights over 4.5 million hectares and strengthened tenure and governance across approximately 34 million hectares — lands that protect not only their homes but also our planet’s vital forests and other ecosystems. From Colombia to the Congo Basin to Papua, their leadership is driving meaningful impact at every level, from local forests to national policies. Our 2024 annual report is a story of real change, resilience, and hard-won victories that deserves to be celebrated.
From the Ground Up: Indigenous NDCs for Climate Justice in the Amazon Basin
Do not miss our upcoming Land Dialogues webinar.
As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, Indigenous Peoples are leading a transformative shift in global climate governance.
This timely and highly relevant webinar will explore the proposal of Indigenous Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), put forward by the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) during the 21st edition of the Free Land Camp (ATL), as well as by authorities and Indigenous leaders from the nine countries of the Amazon Basin and from all biomes across Brazil, in the context of the Indigenous PreCOP.
Our work
At the Tenure Facility, our goal is simple: we work with indigenous and local communities across the developing world so they can thrive, and expand the sustainable management and protection of their forests and lands for the betterment of themselves and global society as a whole.
How we work
The Tenure Facility provides grants and technical assistance directly to Indigenous Peoples, local communities and their partners, to support their struggle for land reform and secure tenure, with a particular focus on mitigating climate change, reducing conflict and promoting gender equality.
About us
Over 2.5 billion people from Indigenous Peoples and local communities live on and manage more than 50% of the world’s land area through customary or traditional systems, including some of the most important and biodiverse forest areas in the world. Despite existing laws that secure their rights, they have formal legal ownership of only 10% of this land, with some degree of government-recognised management rights over an additional 8%.