The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), adopted in 2022, marks a historic milestone in international environmental policy through its explicit and unequivocal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and contributions to conservation.
As a next step, Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity were required to update and revise their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) to align with the KMGBF within two years. These updates, still ongoing in many countries, provide a prime opportunity to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ rights and integrate their knowledge.
This regional report is part of a series documenting Indigenous Peoples’ and advocates’ experiences with NBSAP revision processes in several Asian countries where AIPP members and partners are active. By examining both successful engagement strategies and persistent challenges, they offer insights for other Indigenous advocates, highlight key concerns for policy-makers, and point to important opportunities for allies to support Indigenous Peoples.
Thailand Country Spotlight
This paper examines Indigenous Peoples’ engagement in Thailand’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan process under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, set against a context of restrictive conservation laws and long-standing conflicts over land and forests. Indigenous Peoples had to fight to be invited to consultations, and their participation remained limited and disconnected from decision-making, with rights, land tenure, and community governance largely sidelined. The Thailand case illustrates how biodiversity planning can reproduce exclusion when rights are treated as secondary—and why Indigenous-led proposals are critical for more just and effective conservation.
