GEF AND CONSERVATION RELEASED A REPORT ON ‘ICI’

Latest Context

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN), and Conservation International released a report on the ‘Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI)’.

Highlights of the Report

• As per the report, although Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPs and LCs) have the potential in improving conservation but donors are presently offering less than 1 per cent of climate change mitigation and adaptation funding to IPs and LCs.
• Indigenous peoples own 40% of terrestrial protected areas and 37% of ecologically intact landscapes
• Indigenous land management has equal or greater impacts on reducing deforestation than state management.
• Only 7% of the US$ 1.7 billion of funding pledged for ILPC (at the 26th CoP of UNFCCC in 2021) goes directly to them.

Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI)

• GEF Council in December 2019 approved this concept of the Inclusive Conservation Initiative and the project proposal was endorsed by the GEF in January 2022.
• Objective: The Inclusive Conservation Initiative (ICI)’ objective is to enhance Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ (IPs and LCs) efforts to steward land, waters and natural resources to deliver global environmental benefits.
• Functional Mechanism: There are four focal areas of this initiative.

• Local Action to deliver Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs): It provides direct financial support to IP and LC-led initiatives in priority areas that achieve global environmental benefits through improved large-scale management of IP and LC lands, territories and resources.
• Global IPLC Capacity Building: It establishes the platforms, peer learning networks and knowledge resources for enhanced IP and LC capacity, project and financial management skills, and design of sustainable financing mechanisms.
• PLC Leadership in International Environmental Policy: It enables IP and LC representatives to amplify their voices and influence in the international policy decisions that create either enabling or constraining conditions for on-ground inclusive conservation efforts
• Inclusive Conservation Knowledge to Action: It supports IP and LC organizations to share knowledge regarding ‘inclusive conservation’ models to demonstrate large-scale impact and generate support for IP and LC-led conservation.

Other Policy Measures for Inclusive Conservation:

• GEF proposed Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
• In India:

• National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC): India launched the NAPCC in 2008, which outlines the country's strategy to address climate change through eight national missions, including the National Solar Mission, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, and National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency.
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: This act provides legal protection to wildlife and their habitats, regulates hunting, and prohibits the trade in wildlife and their derivatives. It also establishes protected areas like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
• Forest Rights Act, 2006: Also known as the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, this legislation recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities over forest land and resources.
• National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBAP): India's NBAP aims to conserve its rich biodiversity by promoting sustainable use of biological resources, mainstreaming biodiversity considerations into sectors like agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, and strengthening institutional mechanisms.

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