Motion 105

Foundation for Ecological Security (FES), Landstack, and CIFOR-ICRAF, has revealed compelling evidence from Odisha and Meghalaya that rural, indigenous and tribal communities demonstrate exceptional stewardship of forests and landscapes. We believe that through recognition of care, intrinsic knowledge, and agency by communities, we can help build supporting ecosystems for stewardship, which can lead to communities effectively responding to the impacts of climate change. The collaborative research indicates that these place-based stewardship practices not only match but exceed conventional conservation approaches in terms of biodiversity preservation and improvement of other ecosystem services. Under the broad umbrella of Promise of Commons initiative, we also collaborate with networks like International Land Coalition (ILC), ICCA Consortium, and loosely-knit collaboratives such as Common Ground and Community Stewardship Coalition — all groups which FES is part of — we have already taken a step to strategise, promote and forefront community stewardship through open dialogue and innovative approaches.

The proposed Community Stewardship Fund in the motion seeks to bridge the gap between international conservation commitments and local implementation, though its success hinges on addressing key challenges including equitable resource distribution, administrative flexibility that respects place-based governance systems, and the development of appropriate metrics for measuring both conservation and social outcomes. The initiative requires sustained commitment from various stakeholders, including national governments, international financial institutions, and civil society organisations, but holds the potential to fundamentally reshape the global conservation paradigm by demonstrating the effectiveness of supporting, rather than replacing, place-based stewardship practices.