Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities & Customary Stewardship Unit
Recognizing and strengthening indigenous and community-based conservation as a cornerstone of global biodiversity protection.
Unit Mission
The Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities & Customary Stewardship Unit works to recognize, support, and strengthen the conservation role of indigenous peoples and local communities — who collectively steward some of the world's most biodiverse and intact ecosystems. The unit advocates for the legal recognition of indigenous and community conserved areas, documents traditional ecological knowledge, and develops frameworks that enable communities to exercise their rights and responsibilities as conservation stewards while benefiting equitably from conservation outcomes.
Key Functions
Rights Recognition
Advocating for the legal recognition of indigenous land rights and community conserved areas — supporting communities in securing the tenure security and governance authority needed to exercise effective stewardship over their territories.
Knowledge Integration
Documenting and integrating traditional ecological knowledge into conservation planning — working with communities to record indigenous knowledge of species, habitats, and ecological processes that enriches scientific understanding.
Benefit Sharing
Developing equitable benefit-sharing frameworks for conservation programs — ensuring that communities receive fair compensation for the ecosystem services they provide and meaningful participation in conservation governance.
Operational Capabilities
Environmental, Conservation & Diplomacy Directorate
Join This Unit
Pacific 7.0 International recruits scientists, diplomats, field conservationists, and policy researchers committed to protecting the planet and advancing global environmental security.