The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund has launched the “Global Data Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions” — a landmark study delving into how the knowledge systems of Indigenous Peoples are vital for responding to Climate Change across the seven socio-cultural regions, illustrating their contributions to climate ambition, mitigation, adaptation, and finance.

The study advocates for direct financing by highlighting the measurable impact of Indigenous leadership on climate and biodiversity outcomes. Forests managed by Indigenous Peoples have deforestation rates that are significantly lower — up to 50% less — than those in other areas, and Indigenous Peoples are custodians of 25% of the world's land areas. Yet, finance often fails to reach the Indigenous Peoples who are leading climate action, across mitigation, adaptation and resilience.

Through 400 case studies, the paper will showcase Indigenous knowledge systems and practices as vital for climate action while documenting the impacts of loss and damage experienced by Indigenous Peoples, despite their low carbon footprints. This approach underscores the necessity of climate justice, particularly in the context of territorial management practices that reflect diverse lifestyles, including hunting, fishing, herding, and cultivation.

Razan Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and High-Level Climate Champion for COP28 UAE, highlighted the importance and impact of Indigenous Peoples’ conservation efforts:

“Indigenous Peoples are at the forefront of climate action, yet their critical contributions remain underrecognized and underfunded. The Global Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions aims to provide the data needed to bridge this gap — demonstrating the impact of Indigenous leadership and advocating for the rights, resources, and recognition they deserve in global climate solutions.

The first and initial place of exclusion of indigenous peoples — their rights and voice, ways of knowing and doing and access to development benefits — is in data sets that are Indigenous Peoples-blind. This has often been termed as erasure through non-disaggregated data sets across scales. Data is foundational in shaping opinions, policy, resource allocation, and actions across scales and political spaces. The study is therefore an attempt at demonstrating and reaffirming IPs’ agency and giving space to IPs’ hues in the rainbow of knowledge systems, climate action and trends in access to resources.”

The Global Data Study on Indigenous Peoples’ Climate Contributions is a joint initiative between The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, the UN High-Level Climate Champions and the ELATIA initiative led by Indigenous Livelihood Enhancement Partners, and will formally conclude late 2025 at COP30 in Belem, where Indigenous Peoples will be front and centre. It will serve as both a resource for IPs in accessing finance, as well as a resource for financiers in understanding the business case for investing in Indigenous Peoples.

As the study advances, Ms. Al Mubarak extends an invitation to join the study and participate in shaping the future of sustainable finance:

“Ahead of COP30, we are asking for stories, case studies, and data points to help inform and shape the study, adhering to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Your contributions will make the study richer and more diverse, and we greatly appreciate them!”

The potential in such collective initiatives is immense, and both simplifying and amplifying such powerful insights can empower broader audiences to act now.

The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund lends a helping hand through innovative philanthropy, providing small grants to in-the-field species conservation projects for the world's most threatened species. For more than 20 years, H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, founding Managing Director, has played a vital role in guiding the United Arab Emirates toward a more sustainable future while spearheading progressive environmental protection, species conservation, and climate action globally.

For more information on the study, including on how to make submissions, please visit the Call for Case Studies for the Global Study on Indigenous Peoples' Climate Contributions or email ipglobalstudy@gmail.com

At the third annual Paris Peace Forum, Razan Al Mubarak challenged government and business leaders worldwide to expand the meaning of “environmental protection” beyond fighting climate change by funding conservation and biodiversity initiatives to the same extent. 

“Governments around the world are making big gestures by injecting money into the economy,” said Ms. Al Mubarak in reference to post-pandemic recovery strategies. “What I and many others are advocating for is that these stimulus programs include a nature recovery plan, so that countries are not only reducing emissions, but also giving nature and biodiversity the resources they need to survive and thrive.” 

Ms. Al Mubarak said a similar approach was needed in the corporate world. 

“In terms of business, “the ‘E’ in ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) is largely defined by and limited to a climate change narrative, and not an overall nature narrative that includes the protection of habitat and biodiversity and the restoration of ecosystems,” she further stated. “What many of us are pushing for is an expansion of the meaning of the “Environment”in the ESG framework.”

This year’s Paris Peace Forum brought together 12,000 participants in 151 countries including 60 heads of state, government and international organizations, civil society and the private sector to focus on a global post-pandemic response to COVID-19.

Ms. Al Mubarak spoke during “Biodiversity at the Center: Conserving Nature and Avoiding Pandemics,” a preparatory event for next year’s Convention on Biological Diversity at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Kunming, China. The discussion explored strategies for post-2020 global biodiversity governance to be presented and adopted at COP15.  Ms. Al Mubarak was joined by: Bérangère Abba, France’s Secretary of State to the Minister of Ecological Transition, in charge of Biodiversity; Isabella Pratsi, International Conservation Director, WWF Italy; Zhao Yingmin, China’s Vice Minister of Ecology and Environment; and Anne Le More, Co-President of Chef’s 4 the Planet.

Razan Al Mubarak has written the foreword for the 2020 edition of the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World, the most complete, stand-alone summary of the current taxonomy and distribution of every currently recognized species of mammal.

With editors from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and Global Wildlife Conservation, this essential resource for conservationists adds over 1,000 species discovered by science since the last edition published 15 years ago 

The new edition organizes and classifies mammals into 167 families totalling over 6,550 species. In addition to the updated scientific name of each species, each account includes common names in English, French, German and Spanish, and the IUCN Red List Conservation Category. Each species is accompanied by a scientific illustration in full color, adapted from the earlier volumes, along with a revised distribution map.

In the foreword, Ms. Al Mubarak writes: 

“Biodiversity is a crucial indicator of the health of the planet – the only living planet known in the universe. Mammals, all these incredible species portrayed in this checklist, are major elements of Earth’s biodiversity, and dominant players in the maintenance of the landscapes we know and love—without them, these ecosystems change, they are simplified, they are destroyed, and too often with severe, damaging consequences for us.”

As reported by Lonely Planet, World Atlas and Gulf News, the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns have severely disrupted species conservation activities worldwide according to a survey of more than 300 conservationists in 85 countries. The survey was conducted by The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, (MBZ Conservation Fund) where Razan Al Mubarak serves as founding managing director. 

The survey found the pandemic had affected the ability of 83 percent of conservationists to conduct critical fieldwork, while 70 percent said planned conservation activities had been canceled or postponed. 

“With an estimated 10,000 species being lost to extinction per year, a rate that is 1,000 times faster than at any other time in history, conservation work in the field is the critical first line of defense against extinction,” said Ms. Al Mubarak, founding managing director of the MBZ Conservation Fund. “By confirming that efforts to prevent biodiversity loss have been significantly harmed during the pandemic, the survey makes clear that the conservation community must come together to urge for a ‘nature recovery plan’ where conservation initiatives are given the necessary financial stimulus to not just recover but thrive in the long term.” 

The survey also found that 

• Forty percent of conservationists found the pandemic negatively affected their job or career, with 22 percent reporting their organizations planned to eliminate jobs.
• Sixty-eight percent of respondents said their organization had been negatively impacted, with 57 percent reporting their organization is experiencing financial difficulties. 
• Many conservationists highlighted the loss of revenue for their organizations due to closures of parks, zoos, and aquariums, the decline in eco-tourism, and the reduction in student enrollment for courses and fieldwork experiences.
• Many respondents were concerned that the pandemic would increase threats to the species and habitats, including increased poaching due to reduced presence of law enforcement and tourists and greater reliance on hunting by local communities due to the economic impact on livelihoods. 

Download a copy of the survey report by the MBZ Conservation Fund.