By Metolo Foyet
As the world grapples with climate change, biodiversity loss and resource scarcity, Indigenous and local communities (IPLCs) remain at the forefront of conservation, yet are often sidelined in global environmental governance. Dominant frameworks, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), have made strides in acknowledging Indigenous rights, but IPLCs still face significant barriers to meaningful participation. These barriers include one-size-fits-all legal frameworks, insufficient representation, inadequate capacity within IPLC groups, misaligned priorities between donors and IPLCs, persistent language obstacles, trust issues, and the continued influence of powerful global actors whose priorities often overshadow the needs and knowledge systems of IPLCs.
However, as the geopolitical landscape shifts, new opportunities are emerging for IPLCs to assert their influence. One such alternative is the BRICS+ alliance, a coalition that has increasingly positioned itself as a counterbalance to Western-dominated global governance structures. The 10 BRICS+ nations (Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates) account for half the world’s population and two-fifths of trade, and include major energy producers and importers. Twelve more nations have applied, and the bloc is starting to build institutions with important implications for energy trade, international finance, supply chains and technological research. For IPLCs, BRICS+ presents a promising advocacy and trade platform for several reasons.
The BRICS framework’s emphasis on multipolar governance aligns well with IPLC desire for more decentralized, locally driven approaches to natural resource management. It offers them an opportunity to influence environmental policy without the constraints of Western-dominated power dynamics. This decentralization can help ensure that their voices are not merely tokenized but genuinely integrated into decision-making processes.
Unlike many Western-centric governance models, BRICS members have diverse cultural and ecological landscapes that naturally align with IPLC perspectives on sustainable resource management. This alignment can provide a more receptive space for Indigenous knowledge systems to shape global environmental policies.
BRICS nations also collectively control significant portions of the world’s biodiversity and natural resources, making them critical players in global conservation. For example, Brazil alone hosts nearly 60% of the Amazon Rainforest, which spans 6.7 million square kilometers (2.6 million square miles) and accounts for roughly 10% of the planet’s known biodiversity. Russia’s boreal forests, the largest in the world, cover more than 8 million km2 (3.1 million mi2), storing approximately 300 billion metric tons of carbon and capturing an average of 1.7 billion metric tons each year since 1988. India’s 18% forest cover supports a wide range of endangered species, including 70% of the world’s wild tigers.
Collectively, the BRICS+ countries account for roughly half of the global population and more than 40% of global GDP, positioning them as significant stewards of the Earth’s natural wealth.
In just a decade, economic ties between China and Brazil have deepened dramatically. In 2013, China became the largest investor in Brazil, investing nearly $18.7 billion in projects ranging from infrastructure to energy. By 2023, this economic partnership had grown nearly tenfold, with bilateral trade reaching $181.53 billion. By 2024, intra-BRICS trade surpassed $600 billion, driven by shared efforts to reduce reliance on Western financial institutions. This economic cooperation is part of a broader strategy to reform the international financial and monetary system, reflecting their collective position against trade protectionism and their shared desire for a more multipolar global order.
Climate change presents another common challenge. BRICS countries are major carbon emitters, collectively responsible for around 42% of global CO2 emissions, with China alone accounting for nearly 30% as the world’s largest emitter. However, these nations have also become significant investors in renewable energy, with China leading global investments in solar and wind technologies, spending $546 billion in 2022 alone. This shift is part of their push to secure low-cost, climate-friendly technologies from developed countries, reflecting a shared commitment to balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. They are also engaged in negotiations with developed countries on the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies to developing nations at low cost.
For example, under the BRICS Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Cooperation framework, China has committed to sharing its advanced solar and wind technologies with other BRICS members and the Global South. In 2022, China exported nearly 70% of the world’s solar panels, with a significant portion destined for emerging economies. Additionally, the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has financed more than $30 billion in green energy projects, including Brazil’s massive Belo Monte hydropower plant and India’s ambitious solar power initiatives, aimed at generating 500 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030. This cooperation reflects a broader effort to close the technological gap between the Global North and South, promoting sustainable growth while reducing dependency on Western technology.
This growing emphasis on technological self-reliance and the bioeconomy creates significant opportunities for marginalized groups. Consequently, by aligning with BRICS, IPLCs can gain access to alternative funding mechanisms, technology transfers, and capacity-building programs that reduce dependency on traditional aid structures.
New alliances for alternative economies
Through alliances like BRICS, IPLCs can build strategic partnerships with like-minded actors who share their interests in preserving biodiversity and maintaining cultural integrity, creating a more balanced and contextually relevant approach to global environmental governance. For example, the BRICS Intellectual Property (IP) Cooperation offers the potential to create new trade networks for Indigenous products, cultural goods and ecosystem services, aligning economic growth with conservation goals and reinforcing local economies.
Moreover, the Global South’s IPLCs can leverage the BRICS to advance the sustainable wildlife economy. As global environmental governance mechanisms in the U.K., U.S. and Europe increasingly target trophy hunting bans and impose strict wildlife trade regulations, the livelihoods of IPLCs in Southern Africa face significant challenges. For example, the U.K.’s proposed trophy hunting import ban, if enacted, could severely impact rural economies in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, where community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) programs generate substantial income from wildlife tourism and trophy hunting. In Namibia alone, community conservancies generated more than $10 million in annual revenue from trophy hunting before the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting jobs, antipoaching initiatives and infrastructure projects. However, these bans risk undermining decades of conservation gains by disconnecting wildlife conservation from economic incentives, ultimately threatening both biodiversity and rural livelihoods.
In this context, BRICS offers a promising alternative for IPLCs to diversify their wildlife economies and reduce reliance on Western markets. With their collective control over significant portions of the world’s biodiversity and growing influence in global trade, BRICS countries present an opportunity for IPLCs to engage in more equitable, culturally sensitive economic partnerships.
For instance, China, the world’s second-largest economy, has a rapidly expanding middle class with a growing interest in ecotourism, wildlife experiences and conservation-friendly products. In 2022, Chinese outbound tourism spending exceeded $255 billion, and projections suggest this figure could surpass $365 billion by 2028. By tapping into Asian emerging markets, IPLCs and allies can develop alternative revenue streams that are less vulnerable to the shifting priorities of Western animal rights NGOs.
Additionally, the BRICS NDB and the proposed BRICS Common Reserve Currency present new financial instruments for funding conservation projects. These mechanisms can support initiatives like wildlife corridors, antipoaching technologies and sustainable tourism infrastructure, directly benefiting IPLCs. For example, the NDB has already invested in renewable energy and green infrastructure projects in member states, disbursing more than $30 billion in loans since its inception. Expanding this focus to include biodiversity and wildlife economies could provide much-needed capital for IPLC-led conservation efforts, reducing dependency on traditional Western funding sources and fostering self-reliance.
Furthermore, by participating in BRICS forums and institutions, IPLCs can advocate for policies that respect their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) systems and support community-led conservation. This approach not only diversifies economic opportunities but also strengthens political leverage in global conservation debates, ensuring that, for example, Southern African IPLCs are not merely passive recipients of Western conservation models but active architects of their environmental futures.
Metolo Foyet received her Ph.D. in geography (tropical conservation and development) from the University of Florida in the U.S., and is a consultant for The Nature Conservancy, leading human rights due diligence for the organization’s global operations.
Mongabay
