# Revisiting the Definition and Recognition of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities for Biodiversity Conservation

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how current definitions of Indigenous Peoples are incomplete and highlights the importance of legal land rights for biodiversity conservation and social justice.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a critical analysis of definitional criteria for Indigenous Peoples and emphasizes legal land rights for conservation and justice.

## Key findings

- Current criteria like self-identification and cultural distinctiveness are selectively applied and insufficient.
- Legal recognition of land rights leads to positive conservation and socio-economic outcomes for Indigenous Peoples.
- Involving Indigenous knowledge systems improves biodiversity conservation and supports cultural continuity.

## Abstract

Globally, there is no single universally agreed‐upon definition of Indigenous Peoples, yet specific criteria are typically used to define whether someone is Indigenous or not, namely self‐identification, historical continuity, linkage to ancestral land and distinctive social, cultural and economic systems. This paper argues that the current definition criteria only act as guiding principles to explain the situation of Indigenous Peoples and does not embrace all Indigenous Peoples. We use three colonial contexts, i.e., countries where colonisers left, settled permanently, and where colonisation did not occur, to explain the current Indigenous Peoples' situation. By drawing the insights from selected cases, we found that either one or two of these criteria, such as cultural and self‐identification, are commonly applied to identify Indigenous Peoples. The cases also showed that recognising rights of Indigenous Peoples to land has been found to offer a positive outcome for conservation and creating socio‐cultural and economic opportunities for the people (e.g., biodiversity conservation, greenhouse gas abatement). We emphasise that not only the definition, but the legal recognition of land rights and involvement of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities would be of the utmost importance to continue cultural practices attached to their ancestral lands, allowing them to be involved with natural resource management and biodiversity conservation decision‐making, that eventually relates to self‐determination, equity and social and economic justice.

This paper presents how common definitional criteria for Indigenous Peoples – such as self‐identification and cultural distinctiveness – are often used selectively and fall short of recognising their collective land rights. Drawing on case studies, our paper argues that legal recognition of Indigenous land rights is essential for effective biodiversity conservation, continuity of cultural practices and the pursuit of equity, social and economic justice. Recognising Indigenous knowledge systems embedded with cultural and land rights can contribute to conservation science and practices.