Land rights and governance in the expansion of conservation and forest carbon projects

Under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), countries have committed to conserving at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine areas by 2030. As governments expand conservation efforts to meet this target, questions arise about how these projects affect existing land rights and governance arrangements, particularly in areas already occupied, used, and managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Moreover, conservation projects can change who exercises authority over land without any formal transfer of ownership. Through management agreements and restrictions on land and resource use, governments and conservation organisations can determine how land is managed, who can access resources, and how decisions are made. Some of these arrangements also support forest carbon projects, allowing conservation organisations to access carbon finance while introducing additional requirements for project management.

Drawing on cases from Cambodia, Madagascar, Lao PDR and Peru, this briefer examines how these arrangements affect land rights, livelihoods, and the implementation of the KMGBF. Download it here.