COP16 embraces data for land and land rights
8.11.2024
In an era increasingly defined by environmental crises, we rarely permit ourselves to celebrate genuine wins. Those on the front lines of conservation are often too consumed defending their territories. More and more, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, who safeguard ecosystems with their traditional knowledge and practices, are displaced by top-down climate solutions and extractivist industries that prioritise profit over people.
Yet on October 25, 2024, we accomplished something that inspires hope for a people-centred biodiverse future. At CBD COP16 in Cali Colombia, world leaders officially recognised Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ contributions to sustainable land management, when parties endorsed the traditional knowledge indicator on land (HI 22.1) for headline status under Target 22. In doing so, they acknowledged the undeniable link between secure land rights and a healthy planet.
A coalition-driven win for a healthy planet
This is a victory born from the sustained efforts of a broad coalition of organisations. In 2023, the International Land Coalition joined with the Food and Agriculture Organization, Prindex, LandMark, Indigenous Navigator, Forest Peoples Program, UN-Habitat, the Rights and Resources Initiative, and others to develop rigorous methodologies for measuring progress toward the indicator.
To push for its endorsement, an even larger alliance – including the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity (IIFB), the Global Youth Biodiversity Network, the CBD Women’s Caucus, Forest Peoples Program (FPP), International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), World Resources Institute (WRI), the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry Centre (CIFOR-ICRAF), Prindex, and LandMark – came together with a shared goal: to centre land governance as crucial to a healthy planet. We list all of them here, to honour their dedication to this monumental achievement.
What’s next?
Starting in 2026 nations have committed to track key land rights data in their reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Among other things, they will be held accountable for measuring the quantity of land recognised as Indigenous Peoples’ and local community territories, and how secure Indigenous Peoples and local communities feel in their land rights. (Read more about what, exactly, the indicator measures here).
The future results are more than numbers on a chart. With clear, measurable data on land use and tenure, policymakers can design policies grounded in the needs and rights of those most connected to the land. By recognising their territories and valuing their stewardship, we ensure a future that respects both cultural heritage and ecological resilience.
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