Toolkit

This guide provides a practical framework for communities to develop biocultural community protocols to secure their rights, territories, and resources. It outlines a process for assessing the appropriateness of a protocol, mapping a community's identity and foundations (natural, social-cultural, economic, political, and legal), and consolidating this information into a strategic tool for engaging external actors.

• Biocultural community protocols are designed to help communities secure their rights, responsibilities, territories, and areas, though they are highly context-dependent and do not guarantee specific improvements.
• The decision to undertake a protocol process must be made by the community itself, free from external pressure, coercion, or imposed timeframes.
• Mapping a community's foundations involves documenting its identity and natural, social-cultural, economic, political, and legal bases. This process requires careful handling of sensitive information, such as the location of natural resources or spiritual sites, which should be kept secure to prevent unintended use by others.
• A biocultural community protocol differs from standard management plans through its explicit focus on understanding laws and policies, asserting rights, and defining the specific terms and conditions under which external actors must engage with the community.
• Effective protocols avoid generic descriptions and instead provide concise, evidence-based messages targeted at specific external actors who possess decision-making power.
• While a single protocol can achieve localized change, broader political or structural change often requires the aggregation of multiple protocols addressing similar issues to create a stronger collective voice for social mobilization.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). Toolkit. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BCP-Toolkit-Part-II.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Toolkit. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BCP-Toolkit-Part-II.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Toolkit |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BCP-Toolkit-Part-II.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendtoolkit, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Toolkit}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BCP-Toolkit-Part-II.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }