Building Bridges: Innovations and Approaches to Increase Financing to Indigenous and Afro-descendant Peoples and Local Communities for Climate and Conservation Goals

Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples must be recognized and supported as key actors and leaders in combatting climate change and conserving the Earth’s natural diversity to have any hope of reaching global climate and biodiversity goals. The men and women in these groups have long stewarded their lands, territories, and resources, across an estimated 50% of the global land area. Scientific studies and local experience have increasingly demonstrated that Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities with secure tenure and support are often highly effective stewards of forests and other natural ecosystems, with high levels of ecological intactness and low levels of deforestation in their lands relative to other areas. This paper provides an initial overview of emerging experience with “fit for purpose” approaches to channel resources at scale to collective rightsholders and their supporting organizations to conserve and manage forests and rural landscapes. It draws on presentations and discussions from Path to Scale dialogues, a review of recent, relevant literature, public events and further inputs from Path to Scale participants and RRI coalition members.