Both Indigenous Peoples and local communities are key partners in the voluntary carbon market (VCM) and critical to the fight against the climate crisis.
They manage and protect 40% of the planet’s ecologically intact landscape. Our ability to limit global warming to 1.5°C therefore depends on ensuring both Indigenous Peoples and local communities can continue managing these vital ecosystems. This means they must be included in designing, planning and implementing climate projects that impact their lives. This increasingly means being the entrepreneurs bringing new approaches to the market.
It is critical that we collaborate with both Indigenous Peoples and local communities to make sure the VCM functions in a way that protects and promotes their rights and interests. This will in turn accelerate the supply of high-quality carbon credits from projects that they generate or that impact and benefit them.
Both Indigenous Peoples and local communities play an important role in the key decision-making bodies of our governance framework. We actively engaged with Indigenous Peoples and local communities during the development of our Assessment Framework, and we are committed to ensuring they continue to have a strong voice in shaping our high-integrity CCP criteria.
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The Integrity Council recognises Indigenous Peoples and local communities as different and distinct peoples with discreet rights and interests as expressed in international and national instruments, and in traditional laws.
Governing Board
Since the establishment of the Integrity Council, three dedicated seats on its Board have been reserved for Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities’ voices.
These seats are currently occupied by:
• Jennifer Corpuz, Global Policy and Advocacy Lead for Nia Tero;
• Dr. Francisco Souza, ICVCM Board Member; and Senior Vice President Global Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Center, Conservation International
As distinguished from industry representatives on our Governing Board, Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities members on our Governing Board are fully participating and voting members who are proactively engaged in shaping and approving decisions and outputs.
Expert Panel
The Expert Panel (EP), an advisory body which is also supported by a body of Subject Matter Experts, also benefits from independent members with significant expertise of working with both Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including:
• Daniel Ortega-Pacheco, Co-Chair of the EP and Director of BIOCARBON
• Felipe de Leon, an independent Advisor and an international climate change consultant.
• Sue Phillips, Managing Director at Gender Tech Enterprises.
The Indigenous Peoples and local communities Engagement Forum
The Integrity Council are hosting a newly established Engagement Forum that seeks to strengthen and coordinate Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities critical engagement with carbon markets.
