Forest Trends and Seeds for Change are leading a supporting study on governance, participation, benefit sharing, Indigenous and traditional knowledge, and territorial stewardship for the Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Engagement Forum.
The Engagement Forum, a self-governed body hosted by the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM), is developing the first learning cycle of a new Community of Practice (CoP) on community experiences with carbon market initiatives. To support the Forum, Forest Trends’ Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative and Seeds for Change are leading a study as part of this first cycle.
“The more both Indigenous Peoples and local communities shape and lead carbon projects in their territories, the greater the integrity of the carbon market,” said Beto Borges, Director of Forest Trends’ Communities and Territorial Governance Initiative.
Three projects or territories involving Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities will be chosen through an open call using criteria developed with the Forum. The study will draw on the communities’ own accounts alongside project documentation, registries, policy sources, and interviews to understand how carbon market initiatives interact with territorial governance systems, customary institutions, community decision-making, knowledge systems, and community-defined priorities.
“Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities have governed their lands and forests for generations, and in a number of territories carbon market initiatives are now part of that story. We want to learn from those experiences as communities describe them, including what has worked and where problems persist, and for that learning to be of real use to them. Doing this with full respect for free, prior and informed consent means communities decide how they take part and what is shared.” said Paula Alvarado, founder of Seeds for Change and the project’s lead consultant.
The three cases will then be compared to draw out common themes and lessons while keeping what is specific to each. Themes will be shaped with the Forum and include participation and consent, benefit-sharing arrangements, territorial governance and stewardship, barriers to informed engagement, accountability mechanisms, and the role of Indigenous and traditional knowledge in project design and implementation.
Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and knowledge sovereignty will guide the research, and each territory’s specific context will be kept intact in the analysis. The study will run alongside the CoP’s virtual peer learning exchanges, designed as dialogue among peers, where participating communities, practitioners, and partners will compare experiences, reflect on emerging challenges, and draw out lessons across different contexts.
The study will also contribute to the Engagement Forum’s learning resources and future cycles of the Community of Practice, and will inform the Forum’s contribution to ICVCM’s continuous improvement processes. The CoP is part of the Engagement Forum’s wider work to strengthen both Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ influence on evolving global standards and market practices, and to ensure that carbon markets reflect community rights, knowledge and priorities.
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