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Indigenous-led conservation improves outcomes in protected areas

Nature Reviews Biodiversity volume 1, pages 411–412 (2025)Cite this article

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We were very pleased with the editor’s decision to publish the Comment by Rakotonarivo et al. (Rakotonarivo, O. S., Shyamsundar, P., Kramer, R. & Hockley, N. Conservation practice must catch up with commitments to local people for 30 × 30 success. Nat. Revs Biodivers. 1, 84–85 (2025))1. The authors put forwards a very strong argument for Indigenous and local involvement in the designation, design, monitoring and management of protected areas, and admirably declare the need for a ‘culture shift’ within the biodiversity and environmental protection arenas. Yet, we would like to take up an opportunity that they miss, to acknowledge that environmental health in protected areas provides numerous documented benefits to Indigenous communities, and that these benefits are achieved through proven Indigenous-led institutional approaches. Benefits can be monitored and targeted for amplification, and approaches can be disseminated from nation to nation for local adaptation and optimization.

Countless biophysical use benefits to Indigenous people and local communities directly derived from protected areas have been documented, including medicinal plants2, bushmeat3, non-timber forest products4, and building and craft materials5. Individual medical and psychological benefits are also well documented, including diet and nutrition improvements, addiction recovery, increased physical activity and stress reduction6, as well as significant improvements in body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease7. Access to healthy land is associated with improved mental health outcomes, including depression reduction in youth8 and suicide reduction among Inuit communities9.

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References

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Acknowledgements

We thank the authors of ref. 1 for their important communication. We extend our deepest gratitude to all the partners within the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP), whose unwavering support, dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in advancing Indigenous-led conservation and transforming the conservation sector in Canada. Together, we have made important strides in fostering a more inclusive, just and sustainable approach to protecting our natural world.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Advanced Studies and Department of Landscape Studies, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Jeffrey Wall

  2. Migration Institute of Finland, Turku, Finland

    Jeffrey Wall

  3. Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Jeffrey Wall, Faisal Moola, Jessica Lukawiecki & Robin Roth

  4. Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

    Faisal Moola, Jessica Lukawiecki & Robin Roth

Authors
  1. Jeffrey Wall
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  2. Faisal Moola
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Correspondence to Jeffrey Wall.

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Competing interests

The authors are affiliated with the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP), which actively supports and advocates for Indigenous-led conservation initiatives, including Indigenous protected and conserved areas. Our work aims to advance Indigenous-led conservation practices and support the transformation of the conservation sector in Canada.

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Wall, J., Moola, F., Lukawiecki, J. et al. Indigenous-led conservation improves outcomes in protected areas. Nat. Rev. Biodivers. 1, 411–412 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44358-025-00054-9

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