Women and territorial governance in the Amazon: for biodiversity and the protection of indigenous and traditional territories

Indigenous and traditional women are the natural stewards of their lands and essential defenders of biodiversity. Yet, they are often excluded from crucial territorial governance and land tenure processes, which undermines global biodiversity efforts. To meet our biodiversity targets, their inclusion is imperative. 

At the event “Women and territorial governance in the Amazon: for biodiversity and the protection of indigenous and traditional territories” Indigenous and traditional women leaders shared their experiences, challenges, and ongoing efforts to manage their territories and protect biodiversity at local, regional, and global levels. These discussions aimed to address the structural barriers they face and highlight the initiatives promoting gender equality in conservation. 

The two-panel session focused on: 

Panel 1: Indigenous and traditional women-led initiatives in the Amazon to strengthen territorial governance. 

Panel 2: The link between effective territorial governance and the achievement of Targets 22 and 23 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). 

This event provided a unique platform to spotlight the historical challenges indigenous and traditional women face in safeguarding their territories while sharing their innovative solutions to advance gender equality in biodiversity conservation.