Is 80% of the world’s biodiversity found in Indigenous lands?
While the territory and practices of Indigenous Peoples continue to be key in conserving biodiversity, this percentage is a misinterpretation.
An article published Sept. 4, 2024 in the journal Nature found the number’s origin to be a 2001 analysis estimating the proportion of the world’s ecological regions inhabited by one or more Indigenous peoples. Subsequent publications, such as that of the UN and World Bank Report, misreported the number to signify a measure of global biodiversity, not human population distribution.
There is no single precise measure of biodiversity, a concept defined by varied standards within and between species, and of ecosystems overall. In addition to biodiversity eluding numerical or mappable counts, there are also significant knowledge gaps on geographical distributions and species not yet named.
Indigenous scientists and activists have called for the global conservation community’s partnership with Indigenous Peoples and knowledge, recognizing their rights to land and conservation leadership.
Editor’s note (17/9/2024): A previous version of this fact brief published on 19/9/2020 was retracted due to poor sourcing and an inaccurate answer. This brief has been rewritten and republished on 17/9/2024 to rectify these issues.