Importance of indigenous resource rights & knowledge

WWF appreciates the enormous contributions indigenous peoples have made to the maintenance of many of the earth's most fragile ecosystems.

It recognizes the importance of indigenous resource rights and knowledge for the conservation of these areas in the future.

As a conservation organization, WWF is concerned about the loss of biodiversity and the degrading quality of the world's environment.

But it is also increasingly concerned about the loss of cultures and knowledge.

Traditional peoples have accumulated vast amounts of ecological knowledge in their long history of managing the environment - knowledge that could be beneficial for nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources world-wide.

WWF supports indigenous and traditional peoples to sustainably manage their resources, and to maintain, use, and strengthen their traditional ecological knowledge.

In doing so, WWF fully respects indigenous and traditional peoples' human and development rights, and recognizes the importance of the conservation of their cultures.

This is a difficult and complex challenge in times of globalization and expanding economic and market forces; a task that requires cooperation and partnerships.

WWF's Statement of Principles on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation was developed in 1996 and updated in early 2008.  WWF also worked with IUCN to develop a set of Principles and Guidelines on Indigenous Peoples and Protected Areas.



In 2008, WWF produced updated guidelines for implementing the Statement of Principles on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation.


WWF seeks over time to learn from its experience and share lessons with broader audiences.  The publication Indigenous Peoples and Conservation Organizations: Experiences in Collaboration provides case studies of field initiatives.  In 2007, WWF completed a review and recommendations on Strengthening Partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, including a reaffirmation of WWF's Statement of Principles and identification of actions to strengthen its implementation and monitoring.