Towards just and ethical forest conservation and restoration on Arctic Indigenous lands

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Indigenous Knowledge and Arctic Forests (IKForest) project aims to identify, map, and promote forest conservation and restoration practices that are informed by Indigenous Knowledge and in line with the human rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The boreal forests of the Arctic are witnessing both the planetary crises of climate change and biodiversity loss and intensifying political commitments to increase the land area being restored, effectively conserved and managed – most notably under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and in the EU, the Nature Restoration Law.

These forests not only preserve cold-adapted biodiversity and function as carbon sinks, but they are also homelands to several Indigenous Peoples, whose culture, subsistence, and well-being are dependent on the land. The Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic share a profound knowledge of nature that has accumulated and evolved since time immemorial, enabling survival in Arctic conditions and serving as the foundation for the collective and sustainable use of nature. Scientific evidence indicates, that globally a third of the intact forest landscapes (esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com) and 35 % of all remaining terrestrial areas with very low human intervention (zenodo.org) are found on Indigenous lands.

To achieve the global conservation targets in a just and ethical manner, it is crucial to understand the interconnectedness of forest conservation and restoration choices with the human rights and knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples. Although the governments and other decision-makers across the Arctic states have taken some steps in this direction, there remains room for improvement and better understanding.

Circumpolar analysis to promote good practices

Project Indigenous Knowledge and Arctic Forests (IKForest) (syke.fi) reviews the policy and practice of forest conservation and restoration across the Arctic from the perspective of Indigenous rights and alignment with Indigenous Knowledge. The findings, including identified good practices, will inform just and ethical forest conservation and restoration planning and practices on Arctic Indigenous lands and contribute towards the targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

In collaboration with Indigenous experts and knowledge holders, the project will produce actionable recommendations for:

Policy makers – including suggestions for integrating Indigenous Knowledge and rights into biodiversity strategies, land use planning, and protected area management
Land managers – practical steps to implement co-management, support traditional livelihoods, and apply frameworks like Akwé: Kon
Indigenous organisations and communities – strategies for advancing self-determination in conservation dialogues
Practitioners – guidelines for ethical collaboration with Indigenous communities

The project’s Steering Committee consists of representatives of both Indigenous Peoples and the environmental administration, and the project implementation, including adherence to ethically and culturally sensitive guidelines, is supported by dedicated Indigenous Knowledge Advisor.

The research work and analysis are carried out by experts from Luontoa (luontoaconsulting.fi), and the results will be published by the Ministry of the Environment of Finland in December. Syke’s role is to lead the project coordination and organise events and workshops to shape the project’s direction and outcomes. The project is funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland.

The results of the project will be published in a webinar at the end of the year – stay tuned for more information!