While  talk of carbon markets has been prominent of late, offsetting using forest carbon has long been controversial. Carbon markets are trading systems through which countries, businesses, individuals or other entities buy or sell units of greenhouse gas emissions. A newly launched report by the Rainforest Foundation UK, looks at both sides of the coin. 

The UN’s past two global climate summits have been big on promises for Indigenous Peoples. At COP26 in 2021 governments and private philanthropies pledged nearly $2 billion for Indigenous Peoples and local communities to fight deforestation. Last year’s COP27 led to the creation of a new “loss and damage” fund to help vulnerable communities respond to climate disasters.

This session brings together a range of actors to discuss ways to improve land use and set in motion a renewed agenda on the critical role that land tenure security and land access play in climate action.

One of the main aims of the Land Dialogues series is and has been to highlight Indigenous knowledge and wisdom as a solution to pressing global challenges.  The series does so by creating a virtual space that bridges that gap, where the term “expert” is not limited to academics or researchers, in an effort to both decolonize and democratize knowledge.  In particular, the Land Portal’s role is to highlight Indigenous Peoples’ need for agency and control over the data that is about them, recognizing that data can either amplify equality or exacerbate unequal power structures.

Young Indigenous Peoples are facing unprecedented challenges as they grow up in a world where climate change imperils their community’s cultural heritage and ways of life. In response, many are becoming new leaders in climate activism, championing land rights as a pivotal measure in combating environmental degradation and preserving traditional lifestyles.

Indigenous women’s knowledge is rooted in ancestral understanding of the natural world and the accumulation of observations of local phenomena. The most significant aspect of Indigenous women holding and preserving these traditional knowledge is their holistic approach, which encompasses a wide range of domains beyond mere specialization. They possess an intricate understanding of various species, considering their nutritional value, medicinal properties, and ecological roles. This knowledge, passed down through generations, not only enriches their communities but has been crucial for western science. Indigenous women's insights have often informed Western understandings, leading to the development of medicines and a deeper understanding of climate phenomena such as droughts, floods, and biodiversity migration.

This webinar will present findings from research conducted by the Mekong Region Land Governance (MRLG) Program and its partners on the recognition and formalization of customary tenure rights across the Mekong region. It will highlight key themes from two important regional publications: "The Recognition and Formalization of Customary Tenure in the Forest Landscapes of the Mekong Region: A Polanyian Perspective" and the "State of Land Brief: Recognition of Customary Tenure in Forest Landscapes of the Mekong Region."