Data by Theme

Closing the gap in land rights recognition for indigenous and local communities represents the world’s single greatest opportunity—in terms of land coverage and number of people affected—to advance global climate and development goals.

Start here for an overview of RRI's global data tracking the ownership of the world’s forests from both a quantitative and a qualitative perspective .

Up to 2.5 billion people rely on community lands for their livelihoods and cultures. Indigenous Peoples and local communities customarily own more than 50% of the world’s land, but only have legal ownership rights to 10%.

Recognizing the land rights of the world’s Indigenous Peoples and local communities is a crucial climate change solution. Community lands tend to store more carbon and biodiversity and have lower deforestation rates than lands managed by individuals, governments, and companies.

Indigenous and local communities manage many of the world’s great forests and biodiversity hotspots—lands that are prime targets for environmentally destructive large-scale projects. When communities stand up to defend their homes and protect the planet, they are often met with attacks.

Women within indigenous and local communities play an outsize role in both feeding their families and protecting the resources that all people depend on. Securing their rights is vital to achieving global sustainable development and climate goals.

As investors and corporations push into increasingly remote rural areas seeking land for agriculture, mining, logging, infrastructure, or other projects, conflicts between communities and the private sector increase. These conflicts can be devastating for communities and companies alike—but the private sector can be an ally in securing indigenous and community land rights.