Consultation and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
A Referential Practice for Carbon Projects Following a Rights-based Approach
By Landesa and Forest Trends View PublicationCarbon standards and guidelines emphasize the importance of respecting the land and resource rights of Indigenous Peoples, customary land rights holders, and local communities. Central to these is the requirement to hold consultation processes and to obtain Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) from these groups before undertaking any activities that may affect them or their lands or territories and other resources.
This protocol, a collaboration between Forest Trends and Landesa, outlines a ten-step process for integrating consultation and FPIC across regulated and voluntary carbon markets, including jurisdictional and private projects. It is designed to safeguard the tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Afro-descendant Peoples (IPs, LCs, & ADs) and populations throughout the full carbon project lifecycle. It also addresses key risks related to tenure, governance, benefit sharing, and gender inclusion that can arise when FPIC is weak or inconsistently applied.