The Second Expert Workshop on Traditional Knowledge Indicators was co-hosted by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Secretariat, Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) between 29th – 31st January 2026.

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Objectives of the meeting

The central aim of the workshop was to build understanding of the factors enabling or preventing countries from taking steps towards the use of the adopted indicators of the monitoring framework for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the inclusive approach to the KMGBF monitoring set out in KMGBF Section C. To achieve this aim, the workshop set out the following objectives:

• To share experiences from CBD Parties, Indigenous Peoples and local communities on the use of rights-based and Traditional Knowledge (TK) indicators, and contributions to 7th National Reports3to the CBD.
• To provide updates on the status, methodological development, and data availability for TK and rights-based indicators, informed by recent pilot use cases.
• To strengthen understanding of rights-based approaches, Community Based Monitoring and Information Systems (CBMIS), and Indigenous and local knowledge in biodiversity monitoring, including their integration into national monitoring systems and reporting.
• To identify good practices, support needs, and mechanisms to link community-level data with national monitoring and reporting frameworks, including engagement with national focal points.
• To discuss next steps to advance rights-based monitoring.

Key insights, messages and conclusions

• Methodologies for the five rights-based indicators considered in this workshop are fully operational; however, theoretical developments and guidance to facilitate their use are needed for the component indicators on linguistic diversity and participation. Among the seven countries represented in the present workshop, validated national data were not available for these indicators due to a range of identified challenges.
• Indigenous and local communities have existing methods, some sophisticated, for biodiversity monitoring, but the knowledge and data generated through community biodiversity monitoring and information systems may not be known or align neatly with national monitoring and reporting systems, creating a missed opportunity for leveraging data from all sources.
• The participants from different countries shared their plans, progress and experiences with regard to the assessed KMGBF rights-based indicators.
• Participants identified a range of institutional, practical and methodological needs to advance rights-based monitoring.
• Rights-based monitoring concerns not only what information and data are used but also how monitoring takes place. Data disaggregation is vital for monitoring rights-based implementation of the KMGBF.
• Taking a rights-based approach when monitoring helps to deliver the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in line with the global vision and commitment.