The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) launched 'A toolkit to support conservation by indigenous peoples and local communities,' which highlights community approaches to the conservation of Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs).
The toolkit recognizes the contribution of indigenous and local communities (ILCs) to biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction and sustainable development and aims to further develop local capacity to manage ICCAs.
5 June 2013: The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have launched ‘A toolkit to support conservation by indigenous peoples and local communities,’ which highlights community approaches to the conservation of Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Territories and Areas (ICCAs). The toolkit recognizes the contribution of indigenous and local communities (ILCs) to biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction and sustainable development and aims to further develop local capacity to manage ICCAs.
The toolkit features 16 case studies organized around five themes: documenting presence; management planning; monitoring and evaluation; communication; and finance and values. Each case study highlights tools that ILCs have used to conserve and restore ICCAs, ranging from community marine protected area (MPA) monitoring in Senegal to kite mapping to monitor the environmental impacts of mining in Peru. Another example describes how Cambodian monks monitor and patrol forests to prevent deforestation and encroachment and perform “tree ordination” ceremonies in which monks declare trees sacred and wrap them in orange cloth, indicating that felling the tree would be equivalent to harming a monk.
Additional case studies include: participatory mapping in Ethiopia; the registration of traditional knowledge as intangible cultural heritage in Colombia; the ICCA Registry in Mexico; ICCA inclusion in the Gambia’s national protected area system; interactive management plans and cyber-tracking data in Australia; eco-cultural mapping in South Africa; photography in the Philippines; photo stories in Indonesia; Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) community consultations in Cambodia; tribal investment funds in Iran; ecotourism in Ecuador; and a landscape game and participatory videos globally.
The toolkit reflects growing awareness of the role of civil society initiatives in conserving ecosystems and contributing to achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s Aichi Targets, according to UNDP. The Global ICCA Registry, established by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), also recognizes how community-based actions can support biodiversity conservation. UNDP and UNEP launched the toolkit at the first World Indigenous Network (WIN), which took place in Darwin, Australia, from 26-31 May. [UNDP Press Release] [Publication: A Toolkit to Support Conservation by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities] [ICCA Registry]