Our aim is to strengthen community governance, secure rights, and ensure Indigenous and local knowledge is the foundation of conservation and climate action. The goals of this program are to centre and amplify the voices, rights, and knowledge of the communities we serve. We actively work to secure and defend the land, resource, and cultural rights of marginalized local and indigenous peoples against external threats, including large-scale extractive industries. We ensure meaningful participation, inclusion, and leadership of community members, with particular attention to women and youth, in all project design and decision-making. A core commitment is to document, validate, and integrate Indigenous and Local Knowledge into the heart of our conservation, restoration, and climate adaptation strategies.

  Key Activities:

1. Community Rights and Mapping: Facilitate participatory 3D modeling or GPS mapping of customary lands, resource use zones, and sacred sites to document claims and uses.
2. Legal Literacy & Advocacy Training: Train community paralegals and advocates (especially women and youth) on national laws, FPIC (Free, Prior and Informed Consent), and how to engage with companies and government.
3. Community Conservation Councils: Support the formation or strengthening of inclusive community councils (ensuring women, youth, and elder representation) to serve as the primary decision-making body for all ACES-linked projects and external engagements.
4. Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge (IK/LK) Documentation: Systematically record oral histories, traditional management practices, and climate indicators with elders, linking this to scientific data. That is systematic recording, preservation, and validation of Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge.