Peoples' Conservation Summit 2026: Road to COP-17 CBD, Armenia "Decolonizing Conservation: Affirming People's Sovereignty over Knowledge and Governance of Biodiversity in Indonesia"

Yogyakarta, September 1, 2026 – People's Conservation Summit (PCS) 2026 encourages a change in Indonesia's conservation governance, which still uses a colonial perspective and views communities as threats to nature. PCS brings together indigenous peoples and local communities, farmers, fishermen, women, youth, academics, civil society organizations, government, and various stakeholders concerned with the future of Indonesia's biodiversity.

Through this event, indigenous peoples and local communities are placed as the main subjects of conservation in Indonesia. This was conveyed at the PCS 2026 press conference featuring Cindy Julianty (OC PCS), Kasmita Widodo (SC PCS), and Yance Arizona (Pandekha UGM) as speakers, with Bekti as the discussion moderator.

Yance Arizona stated that conservation issues in Indonesia are inseparable from the colonial perspective that separates humans from nature. This view sees humans living in or around forests as parties that must be removed for nature to be protected. "We are still unable to break free from colonialism in conservation, which separates nature from humans. Humans are instead considered a threat in conservation activities," said Yance.

According to him, this issue is related to the knowledge that forms the basis of conservation policies in Indonesia. Government and scientific institution knowledge is considered more scientific compared to practices that develop in society. However, indigenous peoples and local communities have the knowledge and governance to preserve biodiversity. "Therefore, decolonizing conservation is important to change the relationship between the state, society, and nature," emphasized Yance. This issue shows the need for changes in conservation policies so that community rights and knowledge have a place in determining area management.

Kasmita Widodo said that indigenous peoples and local communities have long been conservation actors, but their experiences have not yet become references in policy formulation. "If communities do not engage in conservation, then conservation areas like national parks could be depleted. However, those who protect them have their knowledge unrecognized," said Kasmita.

According to him, indigenous peoples and local communities have been encouraged to become the main actors in conservation because they know their areas best. However, this knowledge has not been sufficient as a reference in policy-making. PCS then encourages change through the 'people's conservation movement,' which forms the basis for organizing the People's Conservation Panel at PCS 2026.

The Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar (cak Imin), who also attended PCS 2026, emphasized that indigenous peoples are not spectators of development but subjects of development and guardians of Indonesia's natural wealth. He encourages conservation to go hand in hand with empowerment and supports accelerating the ratification of the Indigenous Peoples Bill. "Do not let them be displaced from their own land," he stressed.

Cindy explained that about 500 participants, including 250 indigenous peoples and local communities, were involved in the conference. Participant representation was organized based on regional diversity. "This conference places communities as speakers, especially in the People's Conservation Panel," said Cindy.

The People's Conservation Panel presents 8 thematic issues related to the management and protection systems of living areas; community leadership in managing and monitoring indigenous territories; women's and youth's knowledge and experience in conservation practices; the politics of community food space management that examines the relationship between food sovereignty, biodiversity utilization, and living area management by indigenous peoples and local communities; community governance practices and systems in preserving aquatic ecosystems and fishery resources; indigenous peoples' and local communities' knowledge in health and medicine; tourism practices rooted in traditional knowledge, conservation practices, and area governance; and the development of sustainable livelihoods that promote the local economy.

Furthermore, Cindy explained that indigenous peoples and local communities present in the People's Conservation Panel are placed as the main subjects of conservation as well as knowledge holders. They share experiences, knowledge, and conservation practices that have been carried out in their respective areas. Meanwhile, academics are present to enrich discussions and strengthen people's conservation practices through scientific perspectives and research results. Women and youth also hold important positions as knowledge holders and conservation actors. Therefore, PCS provides space for both to share experiences, convey knowledge, and actively participate in discussions about the future of conservation.

Discussions in the People's Conservation Panel will then be directed towards policy issues through the Policy Dialogue Panel held the following day. This panel involves indigenous peoples and local communities, civil society organizations, academics, government, and other parties to discuss issues faced by communities and the policy changes they expect in Indonesia's conservation governance. The discussion agenda includes land and forest tenure security as well as coastal and marine areas; conservation area governance; biodiversity conservation policies; energy transition and food sovereignty; conservation funding; and the relationship between ecosystem protection and climate change.

One of the agendas that draws attention is the 30x30 target. In the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Target 3 encourages the effective conservation of at least 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. PCS wants to ensure that achieving this target is not interpreted solely as the expansion of conservation areas managed through a state approach. Conservation models already practiced by communities also need to have a place in achieving this target.

Besides space and rights issues, PCS brings up the issue of epistemic justice. Cindy stated that indigenous peoples have their own ways of understanding the relationship between humans and biodiversity. In the community's view, humans are not rulers of nature but part of nature itself. "We are not rulers of nature, but we are subjects of nature itself," she said.

The challenge for academics, according to Yance, is how to open up more space for community knowledge. The relationship between communities and nature can even be seen in community identities. In some areas, the clan names of communities are related to the names of animals or certain natural elements. This indicates that the relationship with biodiversity has become part of the social and cultural identity of the community.

Yogyakarta was chosen as the location for PCS because it has a strong academic space and civil society movement to discuss these issues. In this city, there are educational institutions with a history in forestry and environmental studies, including academics who play a role in knowledge production and forestry policy. At the same time, Yogyakarta also develops as a meeting space for various civil society movements and activists.

The meeting between communities, academics, activists, government, and other parties is necessary to open a more equal discussion about conservation. With this approach, PCS wants to broaden the understanding of conservation. Conservation is not only about forest or marine areas. Conservation also talks about humans, knowledge, culture, food, health, livelihoods, and living spaces that shape the relationship between communities and biodiversity. Kasmita emphasized that communities are the knowledge holders of the practices they carry out. Therefore, what is needed is to provide space for communities to convey and determine how that knowledge is used. This idea forms the basis of PCS's agenda to encourage changes in conservation policies. The experiences of communities gathered in the forum are expected to become part of policy advocacy.

PCS is also part of the process of preparing the Local Biodiversity Outlook (LBO) Indonesia, which will be a complementary report on the contributions of indigenous peoples and local communities to the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The LBO is planned to support Indonesia's reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

The entire PCS series is ultimately directed at offering an alternative narrative about Indonesian conservation that stems from the experiences of communities that have long preserved their living areas. The people's conservation discussed in PCS is not an idea to eliminate the role of government, academics, civil society organizations, or other actors. What is intended to be built is a meeting space where community experiences become an important part of determining policy direction. "We want to place indigenous peoples and local communities as the subjects of conservation. We invite NGOs, government, and academics to have open discussions and find solutions to the biodiversity crisis that is occurring," said Kasmita.

This is one of the main highlights in the People's Conservation Panel, which presents the voices of communities along with the knowledge and conservation practices they have been carrying out. This knowledge needs to be placed as the foundation in conservation policy formulation and not stop as a discourse in the PCS space. Community ideas, experiences, and recommendations need to be continued to the Policy Dialogue, conveyed to policymakers, and brought to global forums.

The presence of academics in the panel also strengthens the importance of space that allows communities to convey their experiences and knowledge directly, without representation. PCS places indigenous peoples and local communities as rights holders who have an important position in discussing the management of their areas.

PCS 2026 wants to convey the main message: preserving biodiversity cannot be separated from preserving the communities that have long lived with nature. The future of Indonesian conservation needs to be built by listening to communities, acknowledging their knowledge, and providing space for them to determine how their living areas are managed.

Contact           : Risdawati Ahmad 
                                 PCS Communication and Campaign Division Coordinator 
WhatsApp Number   : +62 813-3402-1998