Equitable Governance in the Implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) aims to enhance international conservation efforts by the expansion of conserved land and marine areas to 30% of the planet by 2030, as established in its Target 3. To account for these areas, Target 3 considers three pathways, including Indigenous and traditional territories (ITTs) as a key pathway alongside protected areas (PAs) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). ITT, also known as the third pathway, which are increasingly recognized, allow for recognizing other dimensions of conservation, such as governance, equity and cultural values linked to biodiversity. It is worth noting that OECMs are an institutional figure defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), while ITTs are territories with their own governance systems and rights. Although Target 3 has generated significant attention around PAs and OECMs, there is limited empirical evidence on how ITTs are being recognized, governed, monitored, and integrated into national biodiversity strategies. There is a need to generate knowledge about i) how ITTs are being interpreted in different countries; ii) the diversity of governance systems that promote conservation while respecting the right to self-determination; iii) indicators that capture the social dimensions of conservation; and iv) how territorial rights relate to conservation objectives at different spatial scales (e.g., local, state, regional). Filling this knowledge gap is of particular relevance as there is concern that a focus on surface area (as happened before with precedent Aichi Target 11) could lead to overlooking the role of ITTs in conservation and equitable governance. The prioritization of quantitative measures has proved insufficient to guarantee conservation in its whole multidimensional occurrence, and to account for biodiversity conservation outside conventional PA schemes. This oversight risks undermining the contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to conservation, missing other values involved in biodiversity conservation, and may lead to human rights violations as the push for area-based conservation intensifies. The critical juncture for biodiversity conservation in which we are presents an opportunity to pursue it in an equitable manner. Currently, there is strong momentum around Target 3, and efforts to advance the implementation of OECMs are intensifying. There is little information available on experiences with OECMs implementation, and even less on the third pathway. That is why this is a crucial moment to document OECMs and ITTs’ implementation experiences around the world, especially in the Global South, in order to understand how these globally defined conservation figures are being executed in different local socioecological contexts, as well as the governance implications of such experiences. With this Research Topic we aim at compiling experiences, grounded reflections and insights on how equitable governance is being pursued in the implementation of Target 3, and challenges and opportunities around it. We also want to understand how equitable governance is reflected or could translate into indicators that allow us to mirror other dimensions of conservation, besides area. Subthemes for this research topic include:

• OECM experiences — Documented accounts of how Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures are being identified, designated, and managed on the ground, and what these early experiences reveal about their conservation value.
• ITT experiences — Studies and reflections on how Indigenous and traditional territories function as a conservation pathway, including how communities govern these areas and the outcomes they achieve.
• Equitable governance — Analyses of how decision-making power, benefits, and responsibilities are shared among the actors involved in conservation, and what makes governance fair and inclusive.
• Monitoring of social dimensions of conservation — Approaches and methods for tracking the human, cultural, and social aspects of conservation, rather than focusing only on ecological or area-based outcomes.
• Indicators for equitable conservation and governance — Work on developing and testing measures that capture equity, rights, and governance quality, complementing the traditional emphasis on surface area.
• Challenges of Target 3 implementation — Critical examinations of the obstacles—political, institutional, financial, or social—that arise when countries try to put Target 3 into practice.
• Case studies of Target 3 implementation — Detailed, place-based examples that show how Target 3 is being applied in specific national or local contexts, and the lessons these cases offer.
• How national policies are incorporating Target 3 — Investigations into the ways governments are translating Target 3 into laws, strategies, and biodiversity plans, and how consistently this is done across countries.
• Values in conservation — Explorations of the diverse values—ecological, cultural, spiritual, and economic—that shape why and how people conserve biodiversity.
• Biocultural conservation — Contributions that examine the interdependence of biological diversity and cultural diversity, and how protecting one supports the other.
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) — Discussions of how the right of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to give or withhold consent is respected (or violated) within area-based conservation.
• Governance effectiveness — Assessments of whether governance arrangements actually deliver durable conservation results, and what conditions make them work well.
• Territorial rights and conservation outcomes — Research on the relationship between recognising land and territorial rights and the conservation results that follow, across different spatial scales.
• Equity assessment frameworks — Reviews and proposals of tools and frameworks designed to evaluate fairness and equity in conservation policies and practices.

We look for the following type of manuscripts: Community Case Study, Policy and Practice Reviews, Original Research, Perspective

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Equitable conservation, equitable governance, conservation policy, target 3, Traditional and Indigenous Territories, OECM, monitoring, social dimensions of conservation

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