7 October 2014: The Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA) Consortium has released a policy brief, titled ‘ICCAs & Aichi Targets,’ which describes the current and potential role of ICCAs in achieving the Aichi Targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The brief asks the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 12) to increase support for ICCAs’ contribution to meeting the Targets.

Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, CBD, voiced his support for the points outlined in the brief, noting the need to continue documenting and estimating the economic value of ICCA contributions to biodiversity conservation. The brief stresses that indigenous peoples’ impact in achieving each Aichi Target can be much larger with further recognition and support.

The brief describes, for each of the 20 Aichi Targets, how indigenous and local communities already embody and embrace the Targets in their daily lives and practices, providing examples from both developed and developing countries. The brief concludes with a series of recommended steps for bolstering the efforts of ICCAs, including recognizing their land, water and bio-cultural resource rights, empowering women, landless people and minorities, and helping document and evaluate ICCA contributions.

The policy brief was prepared in partnership with the CBD Alliance, Kalpavriksh and the Centre for Sustainable Development (CENESTA). The ICCA Consortium is an international association that promotes recognition of and support for indigenous peoples and community conserved areas. [Publication: ICCAs & Aichi Targets: The Contribution of Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Community Conserved Territories and Areas to the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (Aichi Targets)] [ICCA Consortium Publication Webpage] [UN Press Release] [UNEP Press Release]