A learning event to explore the connection between biodiversity conservation and secure land rights, emphasizing the essential role of Indigenous and local communities in protecting ecosystems!

Biodiversity and community land rights are intrinsically linked. In Asia, many communities depend on local ecosystems for their livelihoods and cultural practices. As indigenous and traditional knowledge and governance systems can help restore degraded ecosystems and protect biodiversity, the lack of tenure security hinders such potential.

Ensuring communities' land rights while protecting natural resources is crucial for sustainable development, environmental conservation, and social equity. Despite this, challenges such as deforestation, land grabbing, and climate change threaten biodiversity and the rights of indigenous and local communities.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), the Paris Agreement, and other international frameworks highlight the importance of land rights and Indigenous and traditional knowledge in reversing biodiversity loss, restoring degraded ecosystems, and addressing climate change. At COP16, parties agreed on a headline indicator (22.1) on land tenure and use in biodiversity monitoring, again reaffirming the importance of land tenure.

At the same time, as the overall framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was being negotiated, the concept of the national biodiversity strategy and action plan (NBSAP) as a means to implement the framework through an integrated, multi-sectoral, participatory manner was concurred by governments. Beyond formulation, the CBD requires countries to ensure that the NBSAPs contain elements that are incorporated into the planning and activities of all sectors whose activities can have either a positive or negative impact on biodiversity. It is in this context that the NBSAP should be seen as a multi-stakeholder process, with other stakeholders being brought into its development as early as possible.

The Government of the Philippines adopts a whole-of-nation approach towards achieving the country’s commitments by mainstreaming biodiversity conservation across sectors. This comprehensive strategy aims to ensure that biodiversity conservation is embedded in all aspects of national development, fostering a collaborative effort to protect and sustain the country’s rich natural heritage.

With the adoption of the KMGBF, the Philippines is currently undertaking its own process of aligning the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP) with this global framework. The PBSAP serves as the country’s roadmap for conserving biodiversity, with a vision of restoring, rehabilitating, valuing, and effectively managing biodiversity to sustain ecosystem services that support healthy, resilient Filipino communities while delivering benefits to all.

Stakeholders have highlighted the importance of localizing the PBSAP as a direction to fully implement and concretize the outcomes and target indicators of the said plan. Seizing this opportunity, indigenous peoples view PBSAP as an arena to collectively advocate for effective and inclusive biodiversity policies and actions while recognizing the rights, commitments, and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, and benefit sharing. Towards this end, several IP organizations and support groups have undertaken consultations leading to the formulation of an Indigenous Peoples Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (IPBSAP). On the other hand, fisherfolk organizations, support groups, and some local government units organized a consultation to provide inputs on PBSAP. Similarly, the NLC-Philippines convened a national workshop for farmers to provide them a space to voice their concerns and articulate their contributions to PBSAP implementation -- underscoring the vital role that farmers play in soil and water management, plant genetic resources conservation, sustainable agriculture, and the transformation of food systems.

At the same time, the Provincial Government Unit (PLGU) of Nueva Vizcaya in Northern Luzon, through its Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Legislative Council), passed the province’s Indigenous Community Conservation Areas and Territories (ICCATs) Ordinance on 11 March 2024. This landmark legislation, the first of its kind in the Philippines, was principally authored and sponsored by Hon. Samuel G. Balinhawang, the Provincial Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) at the time. The ordinance provides for the recognition, protection, and strengthening of ICCATs in Nueva Vizcaya, the establishment of the provincial ICCAT registry, and the appropriation of funds for this purpose. This achievement underscores the Provincial Government’s unwavering commitment to combating climate change and exemplifies the critical importance of local actions in forging a sustainable future.

• Increase understanding among ILC members in the Philippines and in selected Asian countries on the linkage of land rights and biodiversity.
• Share the initiatives of ILC members and other organizations in the Philippines in localizing the Philippine Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan. 
• Orient participants on key frameworks and practical tools on biodiversity. 
• Learn from community initiatives on biodiversity protection and conservation.