Forests are among our most powerful allies in the fight against climate change. As the world races to halt and reverse deforestation globally by 2030, recognizing the role of the people who safeguard them is more critical than ever. At the upcoming UN Climate Summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, governments and stakeholders are set to unveil three global commitments that recognize the conservation value of these communities and mark a significant step forward for forest protection. These pledges aim to scale up both forest financing and formal land rights for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities.However, achieving these goals could face some hurdles. The process of getting legal ownership of land is typically complex and can take years. Without formal land deeds, forest guardians can face structural and institutional barriers to accessing the financing needed to sustain conservation efforts.WRI COP30 Resource Hub WRI’s experts are closely following the UN climate talks. Watch our Resource Hub for new articles, research, webinars and more.One way to help turn these pledges into reality is through customary land rights recognition, which means recognizing that communities have the right to their traditional lands based on long-standing customs and ways of life, even without formal legal titles. Customary land rights can provide those already protecting forests with a pathway and structure to receive near-term funding and help lay the groundwork to secure long-term, formal tenure in the future. 3 New Pledges for Forests and RightsWhile the exact wording of the pledges is still being finalized, the following three commitments are expected to be made at COP30 in November:The Land and Forest Tenure Pledge 2.0 seeks to renew and expand the historic $1.7 billion Forest Tenure Pledge made at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, with the goal of supporting Indigenous and community forest tenure rights and halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030.The Tropical Forest Forever Facility, or TFFF, proposes an innovative $125 billion blended-finance mechanism — combining public, philanthropic and private capital — that would pay forest countries for maintaining standing tropical forests. At least 20% of the fund will be reserved for direct access by Indigenous Peoples and local communities.The Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, or ILTC, is a landmark commitment aimed at setting national, hectare-based targets for legally recognizing Indigenous, Afro-descendants and local communities’ land rights and strengthening existing laws governing community land tenure. Together, these commitments signal a growing consensus that securing forest stewards’ land rights and access to finance is essential to safeguarding the planet’s climate and biodiversity.Why Land Rights and Finance Are NeededIndigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities steward more than one-third of the world’s intact forests and biodiversity areas within their territories, and deforestation rates on these lands are up to 26% lower than the global average. Despite this, only about 11% of the lands and forests they manage are legally recognized as theirs, leaving at least 1.375 billion hectares of their lands without legal recognition by national governments.Without formal land rights, communities are often excluded from direct climate and forest financing. This happens because funds usually go to those who are legally registered as landowners, which is often the state rather than the forest communities themselves. From 2011 to 2024, less than 1% of international climate financing reached programs that support Indigenous and community land tenure and management, and only a fraction of that went directly to community-led organizations. Of the $1.7 billion COP26 Forest Tenure Pledge, just over 10% reached Indigenous and community-led organizations in 2023.As a result, these communities often lack the resources needed to effectively protect forests from incursions, encroachments and land grabs, and to invest in land management practices that support global forest goals.When the new COP30 finance commitments begin to flow, communities lacking formal land rights could again be left behind. Even proposals such as the TFFF, which allocates 20% of its funds for direct community access, may fall short if the funding delivery mechanism isn’t clearly defined. Logging in Congo. The Forest Tenure Pledge, made at COP26 in 2021, aims to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030. Photo by Scott Thompson/WRI  Recognizing Customary Forest StewardshipMany forest countries already recognize customary forest tenure, although the degree of recognition varies significantly. While these rights don’t grant full ownership, they can establish recognized forms of forest stewardship that can provide a foundation for communities to access financing and pave the way toward formal land titles.  These forest tenure approaches typically include legitimacy vetting, geospatial mapping and recording in information registries, and documented conservation outcomes, which can serve as important building blocks to fulfill countries’ commitments under the ILTC and Pledge 2.0.Here are several proven approaches to forest stewardship based on customary land tenure:Recognizing colonial-era or ancestral land grants Payments for ecosystem services, or PES, programs that pay landowners to maintain forest cover typically require formal land ownership. This often excludes many Indigenous and smallholder communities. But Guatemala’s PINPEP program (National Incentives Program for Small Landowners with a Forestry Vocation) provides a different approach: It allows participants to join the program using verified colonial-era land grants and municipal certificates of possession in lieu of formal titles.PINPEP recognizes verified customary possession and land use, allowing communities already protecting forests to access funds without undergoing the lengthy and costly process of getting formal land titles. The results are promising: An evaluation of Guatemala’s PES system from 2007 to 2022 found a 3.4% drop in forest cover loss in Indigenous and smallholder forests under PINPEP, compared to a 1.6% increase in forest cover loss in forests under Guatemala’s PES program for titled landowners.Legal recognition of Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas   Indigenous and Community Conserved Areas, or ICCAs, — also known as “Territories of Life” — are ecologically critical lands and waters governed and managed by Indigenous and rural communities based on their own customs, traditions and institutions. These lands recognize communities as collective stewards rather than private owners and provide a framework through which funding and conservation support can directly reach them.These lands include sacred forests, community-managed forest areas, pastoral lands and coastal or marine regions that demonstrate positive conservation outcomes, even if conservation is not the primary objective. They are established by the communities themselves, based on deep historical and cultural connection to the area and their use of traditional land management systems. ICCAs are subject to peer review before being designated as such and recorded in the global ICCA Registry.  Many countries legally recognize ICCAs, and donors are increasingly supporting them. For example, the German International Climate Initiative, or IKI, funded ICCA development in 45 countries, while World Wildlife Fund-Canada has established a fund to enable First Nations, Inuit and Métis Indigenous communities to create and manage their own protected areas.Recognizing long-term community forest management rightsMany countries grant long-term forest management rights to state-owned forests. While forestland remains state property, communities gain exclusive rights to use, manage and protect it. This recognition allows them to participate directly in climate fund initiatives.There are several examples of this in practice. Indonesia’s social forestry program, or Perhutanan Sosial, grants long-term permits of up to 35 years for local and customary communities to sustainably manage state forests. A study spanning from 2007 to 2018 found that these areas saw a steady increase in primary forest and a decrease of secondary forest converted into non-forest areas. At the same time, local livelihoods and incomes rose by up to 92% in some regions.Similarly, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the local community forest concessions program, or CFCL, grants customary communities within or near national forest estates perpetual user rights to as much as 50,000 hectares of land. Since early 2024, more than 166 CFCLs have been granted, covering over 3 million hectares. A study found that CFCLs have up to 23% lower deforestation rates than the national average and 46% lower than logging concessions. Community-led reforestation in Indonesia. These types of efforts help restore degraded forests and strengthen local stewardship of natural resources. Photo by James Anderson/WRI  A Turning Point for Forests and RightsRecognizing the role of communities in protecting forests as a valid reason to fund them is not only sound climate policy — it is a matter of equity. These and similar land-rights approaches offer a practical, high-impact pathway toward achieving the goals set under the new COP30 forest commitments.The three forest commitments expected at COP30 could be transformative, but only if they lead to action that puts land rights at the center. Ultimately, fully recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities to their lands is the only way to protect the world’s forests and our shared future.  As COP30 sets the tone for the next phase of global climate action, securing land rights and unlocking finance for those who protect forests are two of the most strategic, effective and urgent investments the world can make.         

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