IIED: 2.24% of Nature Aid Mentions Indigenous Peoples

Limited Local Engagement in Biodiversity Funding

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) reported that nearly two-thirds of biodiversity aid funding descriptions omit any reference to local communities or project implementation. Its analysis, released on Monday, 12 October 2026, found that only 2.24 per cent explicitly mentioned Indigenous Peoples or related terms.

The IIED examined descriptions and titles of official development assistance (ODA) tagged for biodiversity, as reported to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee. This extensive dataset comprised approximately 233,000 funding lines spanning from 2011 to 2024.

Scarce "Locally-Led" Initiatives

Further findings from the IIED's report, "Locally-led finance for nature," revealed that merely 33.7 per cent of the scrutinised finance included any reference to the local level.

Explicit mentions of "locally led" constituted a minimal 0.28 per cent, while "Indigenous-led" appeared in a negligible 0.001 per cent of descriptions, totalling only six instances across the entire dataset.

The IIED described these figures as "deeply concerning," suggesting that over 99 per cent of nature projects continue to be directed by non-local entities, even if benefits eventually reach communities. However, the report noted its keyword analysis reflects donor descriptions, not necessarily actual financial flows or decision-making structures.

COP17 and Global Funding Targets

These findings emerge just before the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), scheduled from 19 to 30 October 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia. Governments will discuss global biodiversity protection and finance at this summit.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework aims to mobilise at least US$200 billion annually for biodiversity from all sources by 2030. It also targets a reduction of at least US$500 billion annually in harmful incentives, including subsidies, by the same deadline.

Nicola Sorsby, an IIED Climate and Nature researcher, expressed concern that communities might lack decision-making power over new funds agreed at COP17.

Economic Imperative for Local Involvement

Sorsby emphasised that channelling funds effectively to the local level provides "value for money," as evidence shows nature conservation performs better when these groups lead.

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warns that around one million plant and animal species face extinction, necessitating a shift in financial flows from harmful activities towards conservation and sustainable production.

For Asian economies, where many biodiversity hotspots are located and local communities often act as primary environmental stewards, ensuring direct and locally-led funding could enhance the efficacy of conservation investments, potentially unlocking more efficient use of the significant capital targeted by the Global Biodiversity Framework. This could reduce long-term environmental risks to key industries.