The nature that upholds all life is protected every day by Indigenous Peoples and local communities around the world. Their leadership is essential to a healthy planet and a just future.
As leaders gathered at St James’ Palace to discuss how momentum towards COP30 can channel pledges into action, Synchronicity Earth calls on funders to recognise the vital role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in climate and nature solutions – through rights-based approaches, secure land tenure, and centring their voices in decision-making.
How do we work towards meaningful change?
In 2021, at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, a group of environmental conservation donors, both governmental and philanthropic, made a historic $1.7 billion pledge to support Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ forest guardianship through investments in securing land tenure.
The implementation of this Pledge was not without its challenges and in the initial years only a very small proportion of funding was provided directly to the Indigenous and community groups it was intended to serve. But the Pledge did deliver on one of its essential aims: to raise the profile of the critical contributions that Indigenous Peoples and local communities make to the effective stewardship of natural resources and protection of life systems.
Now, in 2025, attention has turned to the commitments that will be made in the climate COP30 being convened in Belém, in the Amazon, later this year. Indigenous Peoples, afro-descendant peoples and groups, and local community representatives have been calling for a continuation of the Pledge, and highlighting the work done to enable more direct financing to be provided to community level actions in the future.
Any future Pledge should build on the experiences gained in the first and commit to a larger percentage of the funding being provided directly to the peoples and communities who need it most.
© Chris Scarffe
A new Call to Action
Synchronicity Earth is pleased to be joining a Call to Action brought together under the leadership of the Royal Foundation and Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership which calls for recognition of “the critical role of Indigenous Peoples, and local communities, in global nature and climate strategies”.
You can find the full Call to Action here.
It highlights the importance of effective participation in the decision-making processes around allocation of financing. Those at the front line of defending ecosystems, territories, and places need the allyship of others, and we recognise our own responsibility to show solidarity, and provide technical and financial support, provided in a trust-based and sustained way.
This Call to Action provides momentum to that.
Beyond commitments: Our approach
Whilst we recognise the importance of renewing commitments to supporting Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ forest guardianship, pledges need to be backed up with concrete actions.
Several factors mean it’s often difficult for local, Indigenous, and youth organisations to access the funding they need to continue vital conservation work. Synchronicity Earth’s approach centres the needs and voices of those who have often found themselves excluded from global biodiversity and climate dialogues.
- We support Indigenous and local groups to attend key international conferences, such as the UN Biodiversity and Climate COPs, to share knowledge and ensure their voices are heard in these critical forums.
- Our pooled funds allow larger funders, who may sometimes struggle to reach smaller community-led groups, to increase and enhance the funding they provide. Through our pooled approach, we collaborate with other funders to combine resources and share learning, enabling smaller organisations to spend less time meeting complex funding requirements, and helping donors to gain deeper understanding of the work on the ground.
- Support for Indigenous and local community land tenure and stewardship of nature is present across all our programmes, while our dedicated Biocultural Diversity Programme and closely related Melanesia Programme are designed to support a wider range of Indigenous-led and community-based organisations, expanding its reach to more underfunded regions and areas, and amplifying the impact of current partners through capacity development, peer exchanges, and advocacy support.
We invite other funders to learn with us and move from pledges to action.
If you are interested in collaborating, supporting our work, or would like to learn more about how we provide direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and local communities, please get in touch below.
