Human Rights Standards for Conservation

The document examines the legal obligations of conservation actors under international human rights law, arguing that while States are primary duty-bearers, international organizations, businesses, and NGOs also bear responsibilities to respect human rights based on customary law or social licenses to operate.

• The authors argue that there is an evolving consensus that international standards for the human rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities have been established through international instruments, custom, and other sources of international law.
• States are the primary duty-bearers under international human rights law and must not only refrain from violating rights themselves but also prevent violations by private parties within their jurisdiction and provide effective remedies.
• International organizations are considered subjects of international law and are bound by customary international law, including customary human rights law, meaning they must not support conservation activities that violate human rights.
• The responsibility of businesses to respect human rights is grounded in societal expectations and their 'social license to operate' rather than formal international legal personality, as articulated in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• NGOs, which rely heavily on their social license for legitimacy, have human rights responsibilities comparable to businesses and should refrain from supporting conservation initiatives that dispossess Indigenous peoples and local communities of their lands.
• The document identifies 'unjust conservation' as a persistent challenge, citing examples where Indigenous peoples were excluded from the designation of Lake Bogoria in Kenya, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
• The paper emphasizes that Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which aims to conserve 17% of terrestrial and inland water areas and 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020, must be implemented in accordance with human rights standards.

APA

Makagon, J. E., Jonas, H., & Roe, D. (2014). Human Rights Standards for Conservation. Natural Justice. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Human-Rights-Standards-Conservation-p1.pdf

Chicago

Makagon, Jael E., Harry Jonas, and Dilys Roe. Human Rights Standards for Conservation. Natural Justice, 2014. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Human-Rights-Standards-Conservation-p1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Makagon |first1=Jael E. |last2=Jonas |first2=Harry |last3=Roe |first3=Dilys |title=Human Rights Standards for Conservation |publisher=Natural Justice |date=July 2014 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Human-Rights-Standards-Conservation-p1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{makagon2014human, author = {Makagon, Jael E. and Jonas, Harry and Roe, Dilys}, title = {{Human Rights Standards for Conservation}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2014}, month = jul, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Human-Rights-Standards-Conservation-p1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }