Local Leadership and Community Prosperity

Local participation in setting project goals is essential to establishing projects that will provide permanence for conservation. We work with Indigenous peoples—whose lands are home to more species around the world than anywhere else, and local communities to ensure that conservation and protection activities align with local values.

The leadership and participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities is paramount for fostering sustainable conservation and community outcomes. Their active engagement not only safeguards biodiversity but also yields tangible benefits for local cultures, economies, health, employment, and the well-being of future generations.

The PFP model is built on a commitment to uphold the rights of communities and create sustainable economic growth that will benefit lives and livelihoods, reduce and offset carbon emissions, and secure the biodiversity that brings health, life, and wonder to our world.

The initiative brings together all stewards to work in partnership to protect lands and waters for future generations, where Indigenous communities determine the future of their lands for future generations through land use planning; Indigenous Guardians are supported in being stewards for the land in perpetuity, and local communities balance economic development with conservation to the benefit of all people.

Enduring Earth seeks to work in partnership to support a healthy planet and provide long-term financing for conservation, economic diversification, and community prosperity. This will be built on a commitment to uphold the rights of people and create opportunities for sustainable growth.

73 community-based organizations are engaged in the Eternal Mongolia PFP, where nomadic herders protect and manage more than two million hectares of lands and freshwater.

The Namibia for Life PFP is engaging with 100 communal conservancies to deliver community-driven, permanent protection.

Working with 25 Indigenous Governments in the Northwest Territories, Canada, a PFP will safeguard and care for this vast and critical landscape.

Led by 17 First Nations of the north Pacific coast, the Great Bear Sea PFP seeks to establish the world’s largest Indigenous-led MPA network.

“The success of Eternal Mongolia is not solely about protecting Mongolia’s landscapes but doing so in a way that honors and values generations of traditional knowledge while building sustainable livelihoods and futures”

Munkhbat Tserendorj

Executive Director, Homyn Talyn Takhi NGO

Enduring Earth recognizes that effective stewardship of land and natural resources is underpinned by respecting Indigenous peoples and local communities rights, including self-determination, and supporting their leadership and good governance, as well as the flow of sustainable benefit streams (social, financial, and economic) to Indigenous peoples and local communities.

We seek to support Indigenous peoples and local communities rights, leadership, and engagement through the following approaches:

Recognize, respect, and enhance rights to land, water, and natural resources.

Enhance stewardship of land, water, and natural resources.

Facilitate good governance through representative, equitable, accountable, transparent, and culturally-aligned decision making bodies.

Promote culturally-responsive economic development and sustainability.

Attain programmatic impact by scaling our collective support to communities.

Minimize unintended risks.

Partners

We appreciate the pro bono contributions of McKinsey & Company, which provides analytics and other PFP-specific technical support.