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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Is 80% of the world’s biodiversity found in Indigenous lands?

By Samuel Henning
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NO

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Editor’s note (9/17/2024): A previous version of this fact brief published on 9/19/2020 was retracted due to poor sourcing and an inaccurate answer. This brief has been rewritten and republished on 9/17/2024 to rectify these issues.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Nature: No basis for claim that 80% of biodiversity is found in Indigenous territories
Nature: Getting the Measure of Biodiversity
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.