Applying Lessons from Protected Areas to Ecosystem Restoration Concerning Engagement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities

Global interest in ecosystem restoration, notably due to the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), signifies more financing for restoration. Although this investment is essential as our planet’s ecosystems are being converted and degraded, it may also lead to poor practices. The role and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IP&LCs) is one area which has not been given sufficient attention in restoration.

The purpose of this research is to identify key lessons from over a century of interaction between IP&LCs and protected areas to understand and relate them to forest restoration (and ecosystem restoration more broadly).

The objective is to provide guidance to forest restoration practitioners and decision-makers, including to Parties under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), so that future restoration work can integrate IP&LCs in a more just and equitable manner than is being done to date, based on lessons from PAs.

The findings from this research led to the following good practices to ensure that lessons from protected areas support the integration of IP&LCs in restoration.