Mongabay
May 25, 2021
The planet’s wildlife is disappearing at unprecedented rates and ecosystems are deteriorating rapidly, according to a growing number of studies. This is why the world’s largest biodiversity conference, COP15, taking place later this year, could be an important moment for the planet.
But one of the only ways to achieve the world’s biodiversity goals and save nature is to include human rights at the heart of all conservation policies, and recognize the cultural and territorial rights of Indigenous and local peoples, according to a new report.
Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) actively conserve at least 22% of the world’s key biodiversity regions, an area approximately the size of Africa, says a report by the international conservation association ICCA Consortium.