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The fact sheet analyzes the Global Biodiversity Framework's (GBF) approach to human rights, highlighting positive inclusions such as the protection of environmental human rights defenders and gender equality, while warning of gaps in corporate accountability and climate-related human rights protections.

The document analyzes the 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework, noting its commitment to a human-rights-based approach and the recognition of indigenous territories. While it praises the protection of environmental human rights defenders in Target 22 and gender equality in Target 23, it warns that Target 3's goal of protecting 30% of the world could lead to human rights violations if indigenous peoples are excluded. It highlights critical gaps in Target 15 regarding corporate accountability and Target 8 regarding climate change and human rights, and urges NGOs to push for concrete implementation protocols and legal recognition of indigenous-managed areas.

The document examines how the green energy transition in Africa could trigger conflict due to land displacement, environmental damage, and inequitable benefit distribution. It identifies five key categories of legal protections—land and resource rights, environmental and social protections, compensation and benefit sharing, access to information and participation, and access to justice—that can mitigate these risks. While many Sub-Saharan African countries have enacted basic protections, the brief emphasizes that the quality of implementation, institutional capacity, and political will are essential to prevent a 'green resource curse'.

The report analyzes deforestation mitigation strategies in five Global South countries, highlighting the effectiveness of combining financial incentives, land tenure reform, national certification, and landscape restoration. It emphasizes that success requires a combination of context-specific measures, targeting high-risk areas, and leveraging both digital and physical monitoring systems, often complemented by voluntary sustainability standards.

The assessment identifies systemic gender inequalities, high rates of gender-based violence, and significant barriers for people with disabilities in Sierra Leone's coastal regions. It argues that these structural disadvantages hinder effective climate adaptation and recommends mainstreaming GESI across all project activities to ensure equitable access to resources and decision-making.

The WWF Markets Institute highlights the need for a systemic global transformation of food systems to address climate change and population growth. Key trends include a rapid increase in extreme weather events and a shift toward understanding soil as a biome. The report advocates for market mechanisms that reflect the true environmental cost of food and warns that the rapid adoption of AI may outpace public sector regulation and exacerbate inequality.

The report argues that climate and biodiversity crises disproportionately affect marginalized groups and that nature-based solutions (NbS) must integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) to be effective. It outlines three core components of GESI in NbS: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, facilitating equitable participation in decision-making, and promoting the fair distribution of benefits. The document provides a five-step implementation cycle—system understanding, risk assessment, option identification, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—supported by case studies from Vietnam, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Bolivia.

The report argues that climate and biodiversity crises disproportionately affect marginalized populations and that NbS must be gender-responsive to be effective. It proposes a framework based on three foundational elements: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, facilitating equitable participation in decision-making, and promoting an equitable distribution of benefits. The document outlines a five-step project cycle—understanding the system, risk assessment, identifying options, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—to mainstream GESI, supported by case studies from Vietnam, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Bolivia.

The report demonstrates a causal link between Amazonian deforestation and reduced hydroelectric output in Brazil, affecting plants both within the Amazon and in distant regions like the Paraná Basin. Through case studies of the Teles Pires and several Paraná Basin plants, it quantifies energy and financial losses, highlighting that 17 of Brazil's 20 largest hydroelectric plants are exposed to the 'flying rivers' mechanism. The document argues that forest conservation is essential for national energy security and suggests targeted restoration policies based on land tenure categories.

The 2024 report by Climate Policy Initiative/PUC-Rio examines the progress of the Brazilian Forest Code's implementation. While CAR registration is consolidated nationwide, the analysis phase remains a critical bottleneck, with only 15% of registries having initiated analysis and 3.3% concluded. The report highlights the adoption of automation tools like 'CAR Digital' in Mato Grosso and the 'Análise Dinamizada' by the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) to accelerate validation. It also notes advancements in the PRA, with new states like Espírito Santo, Goiás, and Tocantins regulating the program. However, significant challenges persist, including low registry quality, communication gaps with landowners, and legal disputes regarding the Atlantic Forest biome.

The document argues that the conservation of biodiversity and forests is interdependent with the respect for the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (PICL). It focuses on the concept of Territories and Areas Conserved by PICL (TICCA) and Community Forest Management (MCB), asserting that these models are vital for climate justice and preventing biodiversity loss. The brief outlines specific policy recommendations across seven key areas: self-determination, decision-making participation, land and territory rights, PICL-led conservation, protection of traditional knowledge, the right to well-being, and gender justice. It specifically warns against 'fortress conservation' that expels communities and opposes the use of financial market-based mechanisms, such as carbon markets, for conservation funding.

The 2024 assessment finds that global goals to end deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 remain out of reach, with 6.37 million hectares of forest permanently lost in 2023. While some progress is noted in countries like Brazil and Indonesia, global pressures from unsustainable production—particularly agriculture and mining—persist. The report highlights a critical gap between 'green' and 'grey' financing, noting that environmentally harmful subsidies far outweigh investments in forest protection. It also emphasizes the ongoing struggle for indigenous land rights and the increasing threat of human-induced forest fires. The document recommends a radical shift in consumption patterns, the reallocation of harmful subsidies, and the implementation of rights-based governance to protect global forest ecosystems.

The 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that the world is off track to meet 2030 forest goals, with 6.37 million hectares of forest permanently lost in 2023. Deforestation is primarily driven by commodity production, including agriculture and mining, with significant demand from industrialized nations like China, the EU, and the U.S. While some progress has been made in forest law enforcement and the establishment of protected areas, the report highlights a massive gap between 'green' and 'gray' finance, noting that environmentally harmful subsidies reach USD 2.6 trillion annually. The assessment emphasizes the critical need for rights-based governance and direct funding for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ensure sustainable forest management.

The 2024 Regional Resilience Hubs virtual summit focused on democratising climate governance and advancing locally-led adaptation (LLA) across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The event emphasised the need for flexible, decentralised climate finance to bypass bureaucratic delays and reach vulnerable communities directly. Key discussions highlighted the intersection of gender, care work, and human rights, arguing that reframing care as a communal responsibility and securing land rights for women are essential for holistic resilience. The summit showcased specific tools and initiatives, such as the County Climate Fund in Kenya and the CSMAP tool in Asian Mega-Deltas, to demonstrate how participatory mapping and subnational funding can drive effective climate-smart agriculture and infrastructure. Looking toward COP30, the report calls for a shift from tokenism to meaningful inclusion of marginalised groups and a transition from high-level speeches to concrete, actionable proposals for community-driven adaptation.

Between 2018 and 2024, 341 land and environmental defenders were detained across 344 incidents in the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Vietnam. The report details how legal systems are weaponised through trumped-up charges, anti-terrorism laws, and defamation statutes to protect corporate interests in agribusiness and mining. Key tactics include 'red-tagging' in the Philippines, the use of 'National Strategic Projects' in Indonesia, and the application of vague penal codes in Vietnam.

The document critiques Draft 1 of Mozambique's proposed Land Law, stating it enables land privatisation, restricts access to 'unavailable land', and lacks legal guarantees for community decision-making and protection against forced displacement. It highlights that previous consultations were inadequate, reaching only approximately 75,000 people out of a population of 32 million, and urges citizens to exercise their constitutional right to participate in the reform process.

Natural Justice's 2024-2028 strategy focuses on the legal empowerment of African communities to defend their rights against harmful extractive projects and climate impacts. The organisation employs a 'Litigation Plus' approach, combining strategic legal action with community-led research and policy influencing. Key priorities include securing land tenure, protecting traditional knowledge via the Nagoya Protocol, and promoting a just energy transition. The strategy is implemented through three main programmes: Standing with Communities, Defending Rights against Environmental and Social Impacts, and Affirming and Securing Rights to Lands, Resources and Knowledge.

The document outlines the timeline and shortcomings of the 2024 land law revision process in Mozambique. It argues that the initial 'Draft 0' and subsequent 'Draft 1' were not subject to effective public consultation, reaching fewer than 75,000 people in a population of over 32 million. The text specifically criticizes 'Draft 1' for failing to align with international human rights standards regarding Free, Prior and Informed Consent, for creating private land domains, and for failing to protect communities from forced displacements driven by economic interests. It emphasizes the legal right of Mozambican citizens to permanent participation in national life and calls for broader community involvement in the ongoing revision process.

The document outlines how to apply a human rights-based approach (HRBA) to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), emphasizing the distinction between duty bearers and rights holders. It provides detailed guidance on identifying vulnerable groups—including Indigenous Peoples, women, youth, and environmental human rights defenders—and integrating principles of equity, participation, and access to justice into biodiversity planning, financing, and monitoring. The guide specifically maps the 23 GBF Targets to human rights actions, advocating for the recognition of traditional territories, the implementation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the adoption of gender-responsive policies to ensure that biodiversity conservation does not lead to human rights violations.

Natural Justice's 2024-2028 strategy focuses on empowering African indigenous peoples and local communities to defend their land, resource, and human rights against environmental threats and extractive projects. The organization employs a 'litigation plus' approach, combining strategic legal action with community legal education and advocacy. Key priorities include fighting fossil fuel expansion, securing land tenure, and protecting traditional knowledge, with a specific emphasis on feminist leadership and the decolonization of environmental justice.