Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change

This executive summary from the World Resources Institute argues that securing and protecting the legal forest rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities is a critical but undervalued tool for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and mitigating climate change.

• There is a direct correlation between the strength of legal forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities and the level of deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions. Forests are more vulnerable to deforestation and emissions when rights are weak or non-existent, whereas legal rights and government protection tend to lower emissions and maintain or improve carbon storage.
• Analysis of community forests across 14 countries shows that deforestation rates are significantly lower in areas with strong legal recognition and government protection compared to forests outside those areas. In the Brazilian Amazon, deforestation rates in community forests with strong legal recognition and government protection were 11 times lower than in other areas.
• Legal recognition alone is insufficient; governments must actively enforce these rights by preventing encroachments from illegal loggers and settlers and by avoiding the allocation of oil, gas, and mining concessions on community forest lands. Government actions that weaken existing legal rights can lead to high deforestation and carbon dioxide emissions, though communities can sometimes partially overcome these actions.
• Community forests currently cover at least 513 million hectares—approximately one eighth of the world's total—and contain 37.7 billion tonnes of carbon. Given that land use and deforestation account for 11 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, these forests represent a significant opportunity for climate mitigation.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change. https://www.wri.org/research/securing-rights-combating-climate-change

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/securing-rights-combating-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change |url=https://www.wri.org/research/securing-rights-combating-climate-change |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendsecuring, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/securing-rights-combating-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }