Estimated area of land and territories of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Afro-descendants where their rights are not recognized

Abstract

In 2015, RRI undertook the first global analysis to quantify the amount of land legally recognized by national governments as owned by or designated for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The study, covering 64 countries comprising 82 percent of global land area, showed that communities legally owned 10 percent of this area and held designated rights to another 8 percent. Yet, some studies suggest that the total area under community management is much greater. Indeed, the leaders of Indigenous, community, and Afro-descendant organizations and expert opinion have long held that communities exercise customary rights on well over 50 percent of the global land mass outside of Antarctica. This report aims to address this gap by offering a first comprehensive effort to develop a global baseline of the total land area with unrecognized rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Afro-descendants. This analysis draws on previous work, emerging evidence, and expert opinion to begin the process of quantifying the full extent of land to which Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-Descendants have customarily held rights that have yet to be legally acknowledged by states.