LGT Venture Philanthropy has joined over 35 organisations in a renewed US$1.8 billion pledge to strengthen land rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, supporting community-led conservation and ecosystem protection. The initiative aims to secure formal recognition of 160 million hectares by 2030, funding projects like land mapping, territorial management, and organisational strengthening to halt deforestation and biodiversity loss.
Indigenous Peoples, local communities and Afro-descendant groups steward nearly half of the world's land, yet only a fraction of these territories are legally recognised. Strengthening their land rights is one of the most effective ways to safeguard rainforests, savannahs, mangroves and other vital ecosystems.
At COP30, LGT Venture Philanthropy joined the Forest Tenure Funders Group and more than 35 philanthropic and private organisations in announcing a renewed US$1.8 billion pledge to advance community land rights and support community-led conservation efforts globally.
This commitment accompanies the launch of the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment by the Forest & Climate Leaders' Partnership, which aims to accelerate land titling for Indigenous Peoples and local communities by 2030. The initiative sets an ambitious target of securing 160 million hectares through formal land rights recognition.
Funding will contribute to community priorities such as land mapping and registration, territorial management and conservation, and organisational strengthening. These actions enable frontline communities to protect their territories and play a central role in halting deforestation and biodiversity loss.
The renewed pledge builds on the Forest Tenure Funders Group's original 2021 commitment of US$1.7 billion over five years, a goal that has already been surpassed with US$1.86 billion invested to date. As the urgency of the climate and biodiversity crisis intensifies, these investments help scale the proven impact of community stewardship in preserving the planet's most threatened ecosystems.