After two weeks of tense talks, the recent UN Biodiversity Conference COP15 ended with a landmark agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), includes concrete measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30% of the planet and 30% of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.
This COP15 represented an important opportunity for Indigenous leaders to push for the recognition of their rights as stewards of global biodiversity. While some Indigenous groups fear the 30-by-30 target could be used to take away their land under the guise of conservation, others have said the 30% goal is not ambitious enough and fails to ensure nature’s protection. Overall, Indigenous groups have agreed on one thing: for conservation to work for people and nature, protecting both from drivers of environmental loss, Indigenous Peoples must be at the center of these processes.
Furthermore, the closing session of the COP15, parties approved an agreement to “reevaluate and expand the role of Indingeous People and Local Communities’ and traditional knowledge in the Convention on Biological Diversity process”. This webinar will hone in on whether the recent biodiversity COP15 outcomes have adequately recognized Indigenous Peoples land rights and how Indigenous knowledge and data can be elevated, heard and used for improved biodiversity conservation.