Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment

This document is a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, provided by a coalition including Natural Justice and Forest Peoples Programme. It outlines the critical role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in biodiversity conservation, highlighting successful local practices, systemic barriers such as 'fortress conservation' and non-recognition of land rights, and the increasing risks faced by environmental defenders.

• Indigenous-managed lands often exhibit higher biodiversity than other areas. Research in Australia, Brazil, and Canada indicates that native vertebrate species richness is higher in these areas than in all others, including formal protected areas.
• Traditional agro-ecological and resource management systems contribute to ecosystem restoration and biodiversity. Examples include the 'sulagad' system of the Teduray-Lambangian in the Philippines, the 'dahas' agroforestry system of the Dayak Jalai in Indonesia, and the 'Tagal Hutan' fisheries management in Malaysia.
• The 'fortress conservation' model, which emphasizes the exclusion of people from nature, often leads to human rights abuses and the dispossession of IPLCs from ancestral territories. The document argues that conservation based on the rights of traditional owners is more effective than exclusionary protected areas.
• Government economic incentives frequently contradict biodiversity goals. Examples include the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED 2009) driving palm oil imports, Brazil subsidizing deforestation-linked industries by an estimated US $14 billion annually, and World Bank funding for infrastructure in primary forests.
• Environmental and land defenders face severe risks, including criminalization, violence, and murder. In 2019, 40% of human rights defenders reported killed or threatened were defending land and natural resources against profit-driven exploitation and corruption.
• Indigenous women face unique and additional threats as defenders, including sexual violence and harassment of their children, alongside the general risks of state force and armed group maltreatment.
• Legal empowerment tools, such as community paralegals, community protocols, and community audits ('ground truthings'), are identified as essential for balancing power asymmetries and ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.
• In Japan, the Land Expropriation Act is cited as a tool used by the government to forcefully implement mega-projects, such as the Ishiki-dam, often ignoring local resistance and biodiversity impacts.

APA

Boyd, D. (n.d.). Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Special-Rapporteur-Environment_Call-for-Inputs-FINAL-1.pdf

Chicago

Boyd, David. Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Natural Justice, n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Special-Rapporteur-Environment_Call-for-Inputs-FINAL-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Boyd |first1=David |title=Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment |publisher=Natural Justice |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Special-Rapporteur-Environment_Call-for-Inputs-FINAL-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{boydndmandate, author = {Boyd, David}, title = {{Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Special-Rapporteur-Environment_Call-for-Inputs-FINAL-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }