The defense of territories, ancestral knowledge, and community-based economies was a central theme at the Global Summit on Collective Livelihoods & Conservation, held in Brasília, Brazil, in May 2026 and organized by RRI, APIB, COIAB, CONAQ, MIQCB, and MIR. Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community leaders, international representatives, and public officials participated in debates on community-based economic models and territorial rights. 

At the opening, leaders from partner organizations emphasized that collective ways of life are concrete responses to the climate and environmental crises.

“What many today call a climate solution, we have long called a way of life,” noted Angela Kaxuyana, representative of COIAB, affirming that, for Indigenous Peoples, economy, culture, and conservation go hand in hand. In her remarks, she emphasized that Indigenous territories embody historical practices of care, stewardship, and the protection of life. 

Katia Penha, from CONAQ, emphasized that conserving the land also means preserving memory, spirituality, and food sovereignty. “The land is not a commodity; the land is life for everyone,” she said. The Quilombola leader highlighted that the communities’ ways of life continue to demonstrate possible paths toward balance with nature in the face of the climate crisis. 

Speaking on behalf of the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), Solange Bandiaky-Badji pointed out the challenges communities face in accessing climate finance and fair markets. “Funds allocated to rights-based community development still account for less than 1% of global climate finance,” she warned. She advocated for reforming financing models and strengthening partnerships focused on community economies. 

Keynote Session: Debate on Public Policies and Community Bioeconomy 

The Summit featured a plenary session led by Brazil’s former ministers Marina Silva and Sônia Guajajara, who discussed the role of community economies in environmental conservation and the challenges of transforming these experiences into structural policies.

Marina Silva highlighted the profound impacts of climate change on traditional communities, not only from a material standpoint but also from symbolic and spiritual perspectives. “These communities are left in a void of meaning,” she stated while speaking about the destruction of territories, cultural landmarks, and ways of life.  

Sônia Guajajara emphasized that Indigenous territories remain among the best-preserved on the planet, despite the violence and pressure exerted by predatory activities. “While the world applauds us, calling us guardians, we continue to face a great deal of violence,” she declared. The former minister highlighted the need to expand Indigenous representation in decision-making spaces and affirmed that the community-based bioeconomy must be grounded in traditional management practices and respect for nature’s cycles.  

During her speech, she also outlined four fundamental conditions for strengthening these initiatives:  

1. Territorial demarcation and prior consent  
2. Strengthening of community institutions  
3. Direct access to climate finance
4. Combating the financialization of nature and false environmental solutions

International exchanges and collective action 

Throughout the program, leaders and organizations shared practical experiences, structural challenges, and proposals to strengthen community economies as a central pillar of environmental conservation and climate justice.

Community diversity, the struggle for self-determination, territorial recognition, and direct access to land for use were central themes of the discussions. Representatives shared concrete experiences in land management, productive organization, and territorial governance, highlighting how community economies already operate in different global contexts. 

Fabiola Zerbini, Executive Director of Conexsus, highlighted the concept of socio-bio economics as one that has historically been rendered invisible. “This economy is not a niche economy; it has historically been rendered invisible by public policies and the market.” 

She advocated for arrangements that combine credit, technical assistance, and access to direct buyers, as well as greater recognition of communities as economic actors.

Finally, the historical impacts of colonization were mentioned alongside structural barriers such as logistical challenges, disputes over decision-making in territories, and barriers to accessing financing and economic autonomy. 

Jason Rasevych’s invitation brought the perspective of First Nations in Canada, highlighting the need to understand wealth beyond money. “Capital is important as a tool, but wealth is also a way of life, decision-making power, hope, and autonomy.” 

Sessions on Experiences and Community Participation 

Leaders also shared experiences from their territories, with a strong emphasis on forest loss, the struggle for rights, and the rebuilding of ways of life. 

Maria Alaíde, from MIQCB, was moved as she recounted decades of organizing among babassu coconut breakers. “If it were up to the coconut breakers, we would write signs at the base of every palm tree: ‘Let me live,’” she said. 

She highlighted the creation of cooperatives and community funds that already support families in babassu coconut territories. 

Zack Romo, a representative of COICA, emphasized the importance of Indigenous governance over economic mechanisms: “Conservation is a result of Indigenous Peoples’ excellent management of their territories.” He also advocated for community-developed metrics to measure impact.

Mina Beyan, from SESDev in Liberia, highlighted the progress of community-based monitoring as a tool for territorial defense. “Communities are generating data that previously did not exist for the government,” she said. 

Even with such diverse backgrounds and experiences, it became clear that these territories face common challenges and that communities are proposing similar and complementary solutions. In addition to working to bring about systemic change, there is a great opportunity to continue creating spaces for dialogue and exchange that inform both local and global agendas. 

Economy, Territory, and the Collective Future 

Throughout the discussions, a common vision emerged among the participants: there is no community economy without territory, nor conservation without social justice. 

The discussions highlighted structural challenges such as access to financing, legal barriers, market intermediation, and the impacts of predatory exploitation. At the same time, they presented solutions already underway, such as cooperatives, international networks, community certifications, territorial monitoring, and unique models of economic governance. 

Taken together, these contributions reinforced the idea that collective ways of life are not marginal alternatives, but rather existing systems that sustain biodiversity, cultures, and economies in many regions of the world. 

The cumulative results of the discussions, panels, and working groups were consolidated as the basis for drafting the Brasília Declaration, a document that includes a call to action and recommendations aimed at transforming current models of development, conservation, and financing. 

Access the Brasília Declaration here.  

Watch the full Summit video below.