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THE EQUATOR PRIZE 2025 AWARD CEREMONY

Celebrating Local Action for Global Impact

The Equator Prize 2025 Award Ceremony honors inspiring Indigenous and local community initiatives advancing nature-based solutions for climate, people, and planet. From the heart of the Amazon to coastal communities across the globe, this year’s ten winners showcase how local leadership drives global change. Experience a virtual event filled with powerful stories, cultural performances, and a shared vision for a just, sustainable future.

Indigenous and Local Leadership in Conservation

Indigenous Peoples and local communities are the guardians of our planet's most vital ecosystems, stewarding territories that hold an estimated 80% of the world's biodiversity. Their deep, generational connection to nature and traditional knowledge systems are proven, effective models for conservation. Despite this, their rights, lands, and lives are often under threat, and their leadership is frequently excluded from global decision-making.

Stewarding our planet's future

This is why "Indigenous and Local Leadership" is a cornerstone of the UNDP Nature Pledge. Honoring and supporting this leadership is one of the most effective strategies for achieving our global conservation goals. The journey in this topic explores the undeniable evidence of Indigenous stewardship, the importance of securing land rights, and the urgent need to support community-led action for a resilient future.

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Value Shift - Indigenous and Local Leadership in Conservation

Indigenous and Local Leadership in Conservation

What does it take to support community-led conservation? This journey unpacks the critical links between secure land rights, governance, and lasting success. You'll explore the financial "equity gap," the real-world threats facing defenders, and the powerful, resilient solutions from the front lines that are leading the way.