From Forest Guardians to Climate and Biodiversity Partners: Advancing Indigenous-Led Sustainable Forest Management
A Policy Brief Prepared by the FSC Indigenous Foundation
As the world prepares for COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the FSC Indigenous Foundation is calling for a transformative shift in global climate governance, one that recognizes Indigenous Peoples not as mere stakeholders but as rightsholders and co-creators of solutions. Our new policy brief outlines how Indigenous-led forest management, rooted in traditional knowledge and collective governance, is essential to achieving climate, biodiversity, and sustainability goals. Indigenous Peoples protect and steward much of the planet’s remaining biodiversity, offering time-tested approaches to resilience, conservation, and sustainable living.
The brief emphasizes that Indigenous leadership must be integrated across four key policy areas: sustainable forest management, traditional knowledge, direct access to finance, and carbon and non-market approaches. It calls for policies that value Indigenous governance systems as models of sustainability, ensure Indigenous decision-making in forest and climate frameworks, and reform financial systems to provide direct, flexible access to funds. It also advocates for the recognition of Indigenous knowledge under the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform (LCIPP) as equal to scientific knowledge, while protecting cultural and intellectual rights.
At the core of this message is a mindset shift: from inclusion to partnership, from consultation to co-leadership. Achieving true climate justice requires global recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, wisdom, and governance as central pillars of climate action. As the world looks toward COP30, the FSC Indigenous Foundation invites governments, institutions, and allies to stand with Indigenous Peoples as partners and leaders in creating a sustainable and equitable future for all.
Find the policy brief below:
For general inquiries, contact fsc.if@fsc.org.
If you wish to contact our Managing Director, email Minnie Degawan at managingdirector.if@fsc.org, a Kankanaey-Igorot woman from the Philippines.
For communications or media collaborations, contact Maria De Leon at m.deleon@fsc.org, Head of Communications and a Guna woman from Panama.