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The document outlines a framework for using biocultural community protocols to manage interactions with governments, companies, and NGOs. It details methods for establishing dialogue, raising awareness through participatory media, and engaging in impact assessments and international legal processes. It emphasizes the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and provides guidance on conflict resolution and responding to human rights violations.

The submission argues that indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) are the most effective guardians of biodiversity, yet they face systemic threats including non-recognition of land rights, 'fortress conservation' models, and violence against land defenders. It provides global case studies of successful community-led conservation and calls for a shift toward rights-based conservation, secure tenure, and the protection of environmental defenders.

The document explains how international law, primarily through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), protects traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use of biodiversity. It details the obligations of CBD Parties under Articles 8(j) and 10(c), outlines voluntary instruments like the Akwé: Kon Guidelines and the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct, and discusses other frameworks such as UNDRIP and ILO 169. The guide highlights opportunities for communities to advocate for broader rights and challenges such as the restrictive 'compatibility' requirements for legal protection.

The document serves as a guide for indigenous peoples and local communities to understand their rights and responsibilities under international frameworks regarding biodiversity. It focuses heavily on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), particularly Articles 8(j) and 10(c), which mandate that parties respect, preserve, and maintain traditional knowledge and encourage customary use of biological resources. The guide outlines various voluntary instruments, such as the Akwé: Kon Guidelines and the Tkarihwaié:ri Ethical Code of Conduct, and discusses other relevant frameworks from the FAO, ILO, and UN. It also identifies key challenges, such as the restrictive nature of 'compatibility' requirements for conservation and the lack of clarity regarding intellectual property rights.

The document describes the DIADATA dataset, which lists diamond occurrences worldwide, including geographic coordinates, geological forms, and dates of discovery and production. It details the data collection process from academic, governmental, and industry sources, and explains the coding structure for variables such as geological form (primary, secondary, or marine) and production status. Additionally, it describes a 'compact version' of the dataset where sites within 50 km are aggregated into multipoints to reduce missing temporal data. The document includes detailed country profiles for 53 countries, outlining their diamond discovery and production histories.

The Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund (the Oil Fund) held US$6.15 billion in bonds across 39 oil and gas developers as of June 2024. The report argues that these bonds provide fresh capital for upstream and midstream expansion, contradicting the Fund's ambition to lead in climate risk management. Case studies on TotalEnergies, Enbridge, and ExxonMobil highlight the misalignment between the Fund's financial support and the companies' lack of credible transition plans. The authors recommend a policy to halt new bond purchases from oil and gas developers and a phased divestment from existing holdings.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions, failing to account for biophysical processes—such as evapotranspiration and albedo—that make tropical forests critical for cooling the planet. This omission leads to overly conservative credit valuations for tropical nations and indigenous communities, while potentially overvaluing credits from higher latitudes. The authors suggest integrating these biophysical benefits as premium attributes or CO2 equivalents to ensure a just transition and better incentivize large-scale forest conservation.

The research paper contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and removals, failing to account for the biophysical processes of tropical forests—such as evapotranspiration and albedo—that contribute significantly to global cooling. This omission leads to overly conservative crediting for tropical regions and an underestimation of their mitigation potential, which the authors estimate could provide an additional 1.4 to 1.8 gigatons of CO2-equivalent annual mitigation. The paper also highlights the concept of 'positive biophysical leakage,' where protecting forests enhances the resilience of surrounding landscapes against wildfire and drought. To address these inequities, the authors recommend that norm-setting bodies balance risk assessments, allow for premium pricing based on non-carbon attributes, and work toward quantifying biophysical effects as CO2 equivalents.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas emissions, ignoring four key biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—that allow tropical forests to cool the planet. This omission leads to a significant underestimation of the climate mitigation potential of tropical forests, which the authors claim contribute 50% more to global warming prevention than carbon alone. The document highlights that conservative risk-management standards (such as additionality and leakage tests) further penalize tropical forest credits, particularly in High Forest Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries. It proposes that these non-carbon benefits be treated as additional attributes for pricing or eventually quantified as CO2 equivalents to ensure a more equitable transition for indigenous peoples and local communities.

The report contends that carbon markets focus exclusively on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, failing to account for four key biophysical processes—albedo, evapotranspiration, surface roughness, and aerosols—that allow tropical forests to cool the planet. This omission leads to an underestimation of the mitigation potential of tropical forests, which could provide an additional 1.4 to 1.8 gigatonnes of CO2-equivalent mitigation per year. The authors argue that this creates an inequitable system that penalizes tropical nations and indigenous communities while overvaluing forests in higher latitudes. To correct this, the document recommends incorporating biophysical effects as additional credit attributes, recognizing 'positive biophysical leakage' that enhances landscape resilience, and developing long-term methods to quantify these benefits as CO2 equivalents.

The document evaluates the evolution of REDD+ from local projects to jurisdictional approaches, noting that while national initiatives have improved forest monitoring and governance, most have failed to reverse absolute deforestation. It highlights the emergence of subnational jurisdictional strategies as a way to link climate incentives with sustainable supply chains and recommends a rights-based approach that prioritizes indigenous peoples and local communities.

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and river system, containing one in 10 known species on Earth and storing between 90 billion and 140 billion metric tons of carbon. It is currently threatened by deforestation driven by cattle ranching, soy farming, and infrastructure, as well as climate change, which has caused rainfall to decline across 69% of the forest since 2000. WWF is implementing conservation strategies such as the Amazon Region Protected Areas program in Brazil to maintain a network of 120 protected areas.

The 'Food is Local' fellowship by WWF International provides funding for master's and PhD students from 32 eligible countries to conduct interdisciplinary research on transforming food systems to be more sustainable, equitable, and climate-resilient. Eligible applicants must be citizens of the listed countries, have two years of conservation experience, and plan to start their studies by January 2024. Research proposals are encouraged to cover themes such as agroecological practices, gender equity, and the role of food systems in achieving Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).