Forests are more than carbon sinks and timber resources. They are living landscapes where Indigenous Peoples sustain cultural identity, exercise rights and build diverse economies. Across regions, Indigenous communities are reshaping forest value chains through stewardship, land management and innovative enterprises, including carbon markets, renewable energy, non-timber products and cultural tourism. Despite progress, challenges remain in establishing benefit-sharing arrangements, recognising land rights, and ensuring that new bioeconomy models respect Indigenous governance systems and traditional forest stewardship.
This session explores how Indigenous communities are advancing economic opportunities within forests for their own communities and broader rural development. Drawing on experiences from different regions across OECD countries, speakers will highlight practical approaches to partnership, co-ownership of projects, capacity building and increasing financial literacy to access economic opportunities.
Participants will gain insights into successful practices for integrating Indigenous knowledge into forest management, designing inclusive markets and financial instruments, and strengthening regional development through Indigenous economies and organisational capacity building. The session will feature Indigenous leaders and experts to discuss the future of forests as spaces for shared prosperity and the preservation of Indigenous identities and tradition.
Once registered for the session, click on the image on the top right of your screen to join the live session. Sessions will be recorded and available to watch again. You need to be logged in to watch a session replay.
Session times reflect your computer's local time zone.
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