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This report, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in collaboration with the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC), provides a comprehensive compilation of decisions, mandates, and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge up to 2025.

This concept note proposes the creation of a first-of-its-kind national database in Mozambique to document and protect traditional knowledge (TK) related to biodiversity. The initiative aims to prevent the loss or misappropriation of cultural and scientific resources by establishing a secure, community-governed digital repository that bridges the gap between traditional knowledge systems and modern scientific research.

A practical guidebook published by Natural Justice in February 2025 to help local communities in Mozambique protect their traditional knowledge (TK) and cultural expressions. The guide details legal mechanisms for protection, including Geographic Indicators and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations, and provides step-by-step instructions for documenting TK and developing Community Protocols to manage interactions with outsiders.

This report analyzes the legal and institutional frameworks for protecting traditional knowledge (TK) in Mozambique, focusing on biodiversity, cultural heritage, and traditional medicine. It identifies a significant gap in functional regulatory frameworks specifically for TK associated with biological resources, though it highlights ongoing efforts to review access and benefit-sharing (ABS) regulations and develop a national TK database.

This case study describes a project in Northern Ghana that used the co-creation of songs to amplify women's voices in climate advocacy. By combining local lived experiences with scientific research, the initiative created radio-broadcasted songs that addressed climate risks and social issues, overcoming barriers to women's participation in formal decision-making.

This executive summary describes a transdisciplinary research project (2019–2022) funded with USD 199,605 to identify governance modalities that effectively incorporate local and traditional knowledge into biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services management. The project utilizes a mixed-methods action research approach across four case studies in Canada, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay to address implementation gaps in National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs).

The Biocultural Community Protocol (PCB) of Niafrang, Senegal, is a community-led guide designed to protect the village's natural resources, traditional knowledge, and genetic heritage. It establishes governance principles for the sustainable use of biodiversity and serves as a tool for advocacy against zircon mining and land grabbing, while harmonizing customary laws with national and international legal frameworks.

This webinar summary, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, details a regional dialogue on the intersection of global ageing and climate change in the Asia-Pacific region. It examines the specific vulnerabilities of older adults to climate hazards, the systemic exclusion of their perspectives from policy, and the potential for older persons to contribute to climate resilience through traditional knowledge and community-led action.

The document is a Community Biocultural Protocol (PBC) for the local communities of Fokontany Sahandrazana, located in the Commune of Ranomafana, Vatovavy Region. Validated in June 2023, it serves as a guide for external actors—such as researchers, students, and entrepreneurs—on the procedures, values, and conditions required to obtain prior informed consent for the collection and use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge within the territory.

A statement of demands drafted by a movement of African Environmental Defenders in Kilifi, Kenya, on September 28, 2022, calling for the protection of defenders' rights, the implementation of climate commitments, and the recognition of traditional knowledge.

This internal briefing by Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) analyzes 233 decisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to create a tool for national-level advocacy. The document categorizes these decisions into five programmatic areas—Community Forest Management (CFM), Biodiversity, Rights, Financing (False Solutions), and Governance—to help Indigenous Peoples and social movements hold governments accountable to their international commitments.

This internal report by Friends of the Earth International (December 2020) argues that the right to organize and the protection of cultural and spiritual rights are essential for the success and full development of Community Forest Management (MCB). It positions these rights as collective and historical, emphasizing that legal frameworks should be used as one tool within a broader strategy of communication and mobilization to defend the territories of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.

This internal briefing by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) examines the fundamental rights to community organization and cultural/spiritual expression as essential pillars for Community Forest Management (CFM). It argues that legal frameworks, while important, must be part of a broader struggle for rights and that the protection of cultural identity is inextricably linked to the protection of the territories where these practices occur.

This report by Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) outlines the essential rights required for the successful implementation of Community Forest Management (CFM). It argues that CFM is not merely a forestry technique but a political tool for defending the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, asserting that these rights are inherent and exist independently of state recognition.

This submission by Natural Justice to the UN Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights details the impacts of climate change on indigenous peoples and local communities in Africa. It highlights how environmental shifts and land-use changes threaten bio-cultural resources and traditional knowledge, while presenting 'Community Protocols' as a tool for adaptation and the protection of cultural rights. The document also outlines the severe risks faced by cultural and environmental rights defenders in Africa, including violence, criminalization, and land grabbing.

The Living Convention Volume I is a comprehensive guide and compendium published by Natural Justice in 2020. It democratizes international law by aggregating disparate legal provisions from human rights instruments and multilateral environmental agreements into a single, accessible resource. The document is specifically designed to empower Indigenous peoples, local communities, and peasants to assert their rights regarding the interrelationships between humans and nature, including land tenure, biodiversity, climate change, and traditional knowledge.

Beardy’s and Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan utilized the Pathways to Climate Change Resilience Guidebook to develop a climate adaptation plan following severe flooding in 2005, 2007, and 2011. By integrating Traditional Knowledge and partnering with entities like the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Research Council, the community identified risks—including extreme heat and precipitation variability—and implemented infrastructure improvements such as expanded drainage systems and water quality research.

This report, produced by the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), serves as a compilation of decisions and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge. Updated to reflect the outcomes of the Katowice Climate Conference (COP-24), the document outlines the legal framework provided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and tracks the increasing integration of Indigenous rights and knowledge into climate policies, specifically highlighting the establishment of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.

Natural Justice issued a statement mourning the passing of Rodney Sibuyi, the Chief Executive of the Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association, highlighting his leadership in developing biocultural community protocols and advocating for the rights of traditional healers.

This commentary analyzes the limitations of the draft European Union (EU) Regulation on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), arguing that its narrow scope, administrative 'light touch' approach, and specific loopholes undermine the spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol.