The livelihoods of more than 1.6 billion people around the world depend on forests to some extent. In addition, around 350 million people live in or near dense forests, depending on them for subsistence and income, while almost 60 million indigenous people are wholly dependent on forests. Deforestation therefore poses a significant threat to indigenous peoples and numerous disputes have resulted from overlapping claims to land where concessions have been granted on land under the ownership or management of local communities or indigenous peoples. It is essential that the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities are upheld both in the face of agricultural developments and attempts to address tropical deforestation, with it being recognised that securing the rights of forest peoples is vital to halting tropical forest destruction. Furthermore, indigenous and community groups often hold a wealth of traditional knowledge that can contribute to conservation and management, for example related to how to deal with changing climate conditions and to different agricultural practices for managing and conserving forests. 

Over the years, with growing recognition of the importance of forests, there has been in a rise in the international indigenous rights movement.  Indigenous peoples and other members of civil society are increasingly forming organised grass-roots movements involved in the management and protection of conservation areas but also in demanding greater accountability from conservation actors. For example, Panama’s National Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples (COONAPIP) pulled out of the UN-REDD Programme in Panama due to concerns over a lack of consultation with indigenous peoples throughout programme implementation. Indigenous engagement at the international policy level has increased and indigenous peoples’ organisations have influenced the development of policy processes in both the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Having said this, indigenous participation and influence in such discussions remains an issue with these groups limited in their ability to shape policy decisions due to their non-governmental designation in the policy arena.