Working With Indigenous Knowledge Holders to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Nature and Climate Initiatives

This policy brief, developed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and partners, provides principles and actions for ethically engaging Indigenous Knowledge Holders in nature and climate initiatives. It emphasizes the need to move beyond colonial extraction of knowledge toward reciprocal, rights-based partnerships that respect Indigenous sovereignty, gender equality, and direct access to funding.

• There is a persistent gap between the principles of engagement and the actual practice of working with Indigenous Knowledge Holders, necessitating a shift toward fair, ethical, transparent, and reciprocal collaboration to ensure the sustainability of nature-based solutions.
• Global environmental frameworks, including the Rio Conventions, increasingly recognize the necessity of Indigenous Knowledge. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) specifically requires that traditional knowledge be accessed only with Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and its monitoring framework includes indicators for the equitable and gender-responsive participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making.
• Effective engagement requires building long-term, meaningful relationships based on trust and accountability before projects begin. This includes respecting the sovereignty of Indigenous Peoples over their data and knowledge, and prioritizing Indigenous leadership by recognizing Knowledge Holders as experts.
• Indigenous women and girls face heightened vulnerability to climate change due to their spiritual connection to land, roles in household management, and financial challenges. Project designs must prioritize their early involvement and include dedicated budget lines for women's advisory councils to address these specific needs.
• Equitable governance requires government-to-government dialogue with equal legal standing and consultation timelines that allow for consensus-building, translation into Indigenous languages, and transportation to consultation sites.
• Donors should move toward direct engagement and funding mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples to strengthen their organizational capacities and support the intergenerational transfer of Indigenous science to youth. Funding should adopt a landscape-seascape approach that protects nature as an integrated system rather than in isolation.

APA

V., L., E., M., T., R., G., R., W., O., & G., E. (2026). Working With Indigenous Knowledge Holders to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Nature and Climate Initiatives. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/indigenous-knowledge-holders-climate-nature-initiatives.pdf

Chicago

V., Lo,, Myers, E., Rainville, T., Reed, G., Ou, W., and Exell, G. Working With Indigenous Knowledge Holders to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Nature and Climate Initiatives. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2026. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/indigenous-knowledge-holders-climate-nature-initiatives.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=V. |first1=Lo, |last2=E. |first2=Myers, |last3=T. |first3=Rainville, |last4=G. |first4=Reed, |last5=W. |first5=Ou, |last6=G. |first6=Exell, |title=Working With Indigenous Knowledge Holders to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Nature and Climate Initiatives |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2026 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/indigenous-knowledge-holders-climate-nature-initiatives.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{v2026working, author = {V., Lo, and E., Myers, and T., Rainville, and G., Reed, and W., Ou, and G., Exell,}, title = {{Working With Indigenous Knowledge Holders to Advance Equitable and Inclusive Nature and Climate Initiatives}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2026-02/indigenous-knowledge-holders-climate-nature-initiatives.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }