Hi WildHub community,

We’re excited to invite expressions of interest for a 2-day forum called “Advancing Customary Land Rights in Area-based Conservation: Comparing Pathways, Barriers, and Enabling Factors Across National Contexts”. The forum will take place June 14-15 2025 in Brisbane, Australia, as a pre-congress session at the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) 2025.

In the context of international targets to scale up area-based conservation, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are recognised as often being the most rightful and effective stewards of biodiversity. However, national laws and policies governing area-based conservation may or may not support customary land rights. Understanding these variations between countries is critical for making sure that international commitments to rights-based conservation are effective on the ground.

The forum therefore aims to identify common barriers, enablers, and pathways for advancing customary land rights in conservation across different countries. We're bringing together 20–30 collaborators to exchange knowledge, co-develop a conceptual framework, and work on a joint paper offering insights for practitioners, activists, funders, and researchers.

Right now, we’re looking for potential collaborators, especially those with country-specific expertise or experience in advancing customary land rights. Unfortunately we don't currently have funding to sponsor participation. You can find more information in this slide deck. 

If you are interested to join or have any questions, please contact us at paul@planetindonesia.org; sauravde@msu.edu; and shruti.mokashi@atree.org.

Warm regards,
Paul Thung (Planet Indonesia), Devashish Saurav (Michigan State University), and Shruti Mokashi (ATREE)