Indigenous lands are outperforming government-managed lands in terms of carbon storage and forest and biodiversity protection. New research tracking the results of 111 studies conducted around the world found that three-quarters of those papers discovered a positive link between conservation and Indigenous lands. The study, published recently in People and Nature, found this occurred despite Indigenous lands usually receiving less funding than government lands for conservation and ecological management. “Indigenous Peoples are among the world’s most effective land stewards, yet many are still fighting for basic recognition of their rights to lands they have protected for generations,” said William Nikolakis, lead author of the study and assistant professor of Indigenous land and natural resources governance at the University of British Columbia (UBC), in a press release. “The science is clear—we need to catch up.” The researchers also found a concerning lack of Indigenous voices—only 7% of the 111 studies the team examined had Indigenous authors. “Scientists often find it difficult to accept Indigenous science as legitimate, resulting in academic research that does not fully reflect Indigenous knowledge systems or perspectives,” said Garry Merkel, co-author and director of UBC’s Centre of Indigenous Land Stewardship and a member of Tahltan Nation, in a press release.
