Tenure Data: Global View
RRI monitors the legal recognition of Indigenous Peoples’, Afro-descendant Peoples’, and local communities’—including women’s—rights to forests, land, and natural resources across more than 75 countries through its quantitative and qualitative databases.
Explore the global data below.
Explore the global data below.
Explore the available datasets:
Explore forest tenure data for:
Select Country
Angola 
Argentina
Australia
Belize
Bhutan
Bolivia 
Brazil
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Central African Republic
Chile
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ecuador
Ethiopia
Finland
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kenya
Korea, Republic of
Lao PDR
Liberia
Madagascar
Malaysia
Mali
Mexico
Mongolia
Mozambique
Myanmar
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines
Republic of Congo
Russia
Senegal
South Sudan
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
United States
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Zambia
* Use the key below to see which data is available for each country in the dropdown.
Bundle of Forest Rights & Women’s Rights
Forest Area Data
Related Materials
- REPORT | Resilience and Resistance: Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Local Community Women’s Statutory Rights to Community Forests (2025)
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | Resilience and Resistance (2025)
- REPORT | At a Crossroads: Consequential Trends in Recognition of Community-Based Forest Tenure from 2002-2017 (2018)
- REPORT | A Global Baseline of Carbon Storage in Collective Lands (2018)
- REPORT | Power and Potential: A Comparative Analysis of National Laws and Regulations Concerning Women’s Rights to Community Forests (2017)
- New Depth of Rights Report coming in 2025
Methodology
RRI’s Forest Tenure data tracks forest area under four tenure categories based on the rightsholder and strength of their rights under national law, employing a bundle of rights approach that links RRI’s qualitative and quantitative data.
Forest Area Data
Evidence from 58 countries covering nearly 92 percent of the world’s forests shows communities’ legal rights to own and manage forests increased from 2002 to 2017, with most of these gains occurring within 33 low- and middle-income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Yet, significant challenges in implementation remain and communities continue to contest lands controlled by governments and other actors.
Gender Data
Deeper analysis of the legal frameworks regulating community-based forest tenure in 35 countries shows that despite laudable international progress concerning the articulation of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women’s tenure rights and widespread constitutional protections for women’s equal rights, states are still failing to meet their legal obligations to legislatively protect women’s community-based forest tenure rights.
Across 104 legal frameworks analyzed from 35 countries that together cover about 80 percent of forests in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, specific recognition of women’s community-based forest tenure rights only improved marginally from 2016 to 2024.
Read about the methodology for each dataset: Forest Area and Gender.
New data for Depth of Rights is coming in 2025.
RRI’s forest tenure data was last published in “At a Crossroads: Consequential Trends in Recognition of Community-Based Forest Tenure from 2002-2017 (2018).” The data analyzes the distribution of forest tenure in 58 countries, cumulatively containing nearly 92 percent of global forest area. Of the 58 countries analyzed, 48 are low- and middle-income countries and 10 are high-income countries.
The methodology underlying this data is based on the bundle-of-rights approach for community-based tenure regimes (CBTRs).
A CBTR is a distinguishable set of national laws, regulations, and case law governing all situations under which the right to own or manage terrestrial natural resources is held at the community level.
CBTRs may be classified as “government administered;” “designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities;” or “owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities” based on the combination of rights recognized under a country’s national laws, regulations, or supreme or constitutional court decisions.
The methodology underlying this data is based on the bundle-of-rights approach for community-based tenure regimes (CBTRs).
A CBTR is a distinguishable set of national laws, regulations, and case law governing all situations under which the right to own or manage terrestrial natural resources is held at the community level.
CBTRs may be classified as “government administered;” “designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities;” or “owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities” based on the combination of rights recognized under a country’s national laws, regulations, or supreme or constitutional court decisions.
The minimum bundle of rights constituting each classification are shown below.
Category 1
Government administered CBTRs
Forests are administered by governments, but communities may hold:
Category 2
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities
Communities hold both:
Plus at least 1 of the following:
Category 3
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities
Communities hold all of the following:
Note: Alienation rights (to sell, lease, or use their lands as collateral) are not required under this category.
Read through RRI’s full methodologies for Forest Area and the Depth of Rights.
For more than a decade, RRI has been connecting and organizing local and global actors around a common agenda guided by Indigenous and community partners.
Explore country-level data on the distribution of Forest Tenure over time. Click on the country name to learn more about the legal frameworks recognizing community-based tenure, including the specific rights of Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and community women.
As of 2017, Indigenous Peoples and local communities are legally recognized as owning at least 447 million hectares (Mha), or 12.2 percent, of forestland within the 58 countries analyzed.
Country
Government Administered
2002 2017Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities
2002 2017Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities
2002 2017Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms
2002 2017
Country:
Angola
Government Administered 2002: 59.73
2017: 57.86
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.001
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Argentina
Government Administered 2002: 5.70
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: 0.87
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 22.20
2017: n.d.
Country:
Australia
Government Administered 2002: 93.96
2017: 83.30
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 9.10
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 20.87
2017: 12.11
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 14.01
2017: 20.24
Country:
Belize
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Country:
Bhutan
Government Administered 2002: 2.60
2017: 2.65
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.001
2017: 0.08
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.004
2017: 0.001
Country:
Bolivia
Government Administered 2002: 41.43
2017: 28.03
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 1.58
2017: 0.47
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 16.61
2017: 24.71
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.48
2017: 1.55
Country:
Brazil
Government Administered 2002: 341.02
2017: 238.39
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 10.68
2017: 40.41
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 75.27
2017: 118.05
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 94.29
2017: 99.89
Country:
Cambodia
Government Administered 2002: 11.16
2017: 7.73
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.46
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Cameroon
Government Administered 2002: 22.12
2017: 18.98
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 3.02
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Country:
Canada
Government Administered 2002: 319.32
2017: 318.34
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.20
2017: 0.30
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 6.60
2017: 6.81
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 21.68
2017: 21.62
Country:
Central African Republic
Government Administered 2002: 22.40
2017: 22.17
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.00
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.002
Country:
Chile
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: 5.49
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: 0.86
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: 11.32
Country:
China
Government Administered 2002: 76.06
2017: 75.20
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 103.06
2017: 124.30
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Colombia
Government Administered 2002: 38.00
2017: 26.38
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 24.50
2017: 32.93
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Costa Rica
Government Administered 2002: 1.11
2017: 1.10
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.34
2017: 0.28
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 1.32
2017: 1.06
Country:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Government Administered 2002: 157.25
2017: 152.41
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.17
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Ecuador
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.02
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 1.27
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Country:
Ethiopia
Government Administered 2002: 13.70
2017: 12.29
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.01
2017: 0.21
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Finland
Government Administered 2002: 10.09
2017: 10.41
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.12
2017: 0.12
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 16.10
2017: 15.67
Country:
Gabon
Government Administered 2002: 22.00
2017: 22.93
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.07
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Gambia
Government Administered 2002: 0.44
2017: 0.44
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.02
2017: 0.05
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.001
2017: 0.001
Country:
Guatemala
Government Administered 2002: 1.85
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.53
2017: 0.40
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.29
2017: 1.20
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 1.53
2017: n.d.
Country:
Guyana
Government Administered 2002: 16.62
2017: 13.17
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 3.35
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Country:
Honduras
Government Administered 2002: 4.07
2017: 1.18
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.60
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 1.79
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 1.36
2017: 1.80
Country:
India
Government Administered 2002: 56.02
2017: 59.28
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 1.11
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 9.37
2017: 9.77
Country:
Indonesia
Government Administered 2002: 97.69
2017: 85.36
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.22
2017: 0.79
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.01
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 1.49
2017: 4.86
Country:
Japan
Government Administered 2002: 10.43
2017: 11.06
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 1.05
2017: 0.28
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 13.39
2017: 13.09
Country:
Kenya
Government Administered 2002: 3.48
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.38
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.08
2017: 0.09
Country:
Korea, Republic of
Government Administered 2002: 1.89
2017: 2.08
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.03
2017: 0.005
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 4.50
2017: 4.25
Country:
Lao PDR
Government Administered 2002: 16.53
2017: 18.74
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.02
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Country:
Liberia
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.58
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Country:
Malaysia
Government Administered 2002: -
2017: -
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Mali
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.004
2017: 0.004
Country:
Mexico
Government Administered 2002: 2.75
2017: 3.65
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 44.00
2017: 45.47
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 8.30
2017: 16.92
Country:
Mongolia
Government Administered 2002: 12.89
2017: 8.94
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 3.35
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Mozambique
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.07
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Myanmar
Government Administered 2002: 34.23
2017: 28.88
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.02
2017: 0.16
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Nepal
Government Administered 2002: 4.63
2017: 4.54
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 1.02
2017: 2.07
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.002
2017: 0.002
Country:
Nigeria
Government Administered 2002: 12.97
2017: -
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.16
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Panama
Government Administered 2002: 3.92
2017: 3.63
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.90
2017: 0.90
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.04
2017: 0.08
Country:
Papua New Guinea
Government Administered 2002: 0.90
2017: 0.84
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 29.20
2017: 27.01
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.03
2017: 0.03
Country:
Peru
Government Administered 2002: 58.77
2017: 54.38
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 1.57
2017: 4.98
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 10.52
2017: 12.78
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 5.29
2017: 0.12
Country:
Philippines
Government Administered 2002: 13.84
2017: 9.46
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 1.97
2017: 1.64
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.04
2017: 4.71
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Republic of Congo
Government Administered 2002: 22.56
2017: 22.33
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Country:
Russia
Government Administered 2002: 809.27
2017: 814.93
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: 0.00
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Senegal
Government Administered 2002: 8.89
2017: 8.26
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.004
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.002
2017: 0.01
Country:
South Sudan
Government Administered 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: 0.00
Country:
Sudan
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.04
2017: 0.20
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Country:
Suriname
Government Administered 2002: 15.30
2017: 15.11
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.09
2017: 0.09
Country:
Sweden
Government Administered 2002: 6.86
2017: 7.25
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.19
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.54
2017: 0.70
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 20.77
2017: 19.94
Country:
Tanzania
Government Administered 2002: 35.13
2017: 17.29
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.07
2017: 5.39
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 16.60
2017: 21.91
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.12
2017: 3.51
Country:
Thailand
Government Administered 2002: 17.01
2017: 15.87
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.48
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Timor-Leste
Government Administered 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: n.d.
2017: n.d.
Country:
Togo
Government Administered 2002: 0.13
2017: 0.06
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: n.d.
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 0.35
2017: n.d.
Country:
United States
Government Administered 2002: 129.16
2017: 129.97
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 7.33
2017: 7.52
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 166.59
2017: 172.59
Country:
Venezuela
Government Administered 2002: 49.15
2017: n.d.
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 0.00
2017: n.d.
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Viet Nam
Government Administered 2002: 11.78
2017: 13.25
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 1.13
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: -
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: -
Country:
Zambia
Government Administered 2002: 51.13
2017: 48.54
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.08
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: -
2017: 0.02
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: -
2017: 0.00
Country:
Total
Government Administered 2002: 2,747.95
2017: 2,482.15
Designated for Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 18.15
2017: 80.50
Owned by Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and Local Communities 2002: 357.84
2017: 447.43
Privately Owned by Individuals and Firms 2002: 403.39
2017: 418.50
Highlighting in gray indicates Complete Case Countries.
Dashes (-) denote situations in which the tenure category in question is not legally possible under national law.
n.d. = No Data
Source: RRI. 2018. At a Crossroads: Trends in Recognition of Community-Based Forest Tenure from 2002-2017.
This analysis stems from the 2025 report “Resilience and Resistance: Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Local Community Women’s Statutory Rights to Community Forests.”
RRI’s Gender database builds on RRI’s Depth of Rights analysis on the extent and strength of communities’ legally recognized forest tenure rights. The gender database captures qualitative data on Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women’s legally recognized tenure rights to community forests under 104 community-based tenure regimes (CBTRs) legally recognized within 35 countries.
The CBTR underpins all of RRI’s Tenure Tracking methodologies and associated databases. A CBTR is a distinguishable set of national laws, regulations, and case law governing all situations under which the right to own or manage terrestrial natural resources is held at the community level.
RRI’s Gender database builds on RRI’s Depth of Rights analysis on the extent and strength of communities’ legally recognized forest tenure rights. The gender database captures qualitative data on Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women’s legally recognized tenure rights to community forests under 104 community-based tenure regimes (CBTRs) legally recognized within 35 countries.
The CBTR underpins all of RRI’s Tenure Tracking methodologies and associated databases. A CBTR is a distinguishable set of national laws, regulations, and case law governing all situations under which the right to own or manage terrestrial natural resources is held at the community level.
As of 2024:
- Legislative provisions adequately protecting the rights of community women exist for only 2 percent of CBTRs regarding Voting, 5 percent for Leadership, 13 percent for community-level Inheritance, 20 percent for Dispute Resolution, and 29 percent for Membership.
- Concerningly, the rights most pivotal for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women to shape their and their communities’ relationship with forests resources—Voting and Leadership—continue to receive the least amount of adequate protection under national law, thus limiting community women’s ability to challenge gender-discriminatory norms and meaningfully participate in key decisions impacting community territories.
- National legal frameworks that recognize community forest ownership, and those established with the primary goal of securing community rights (as compared to regimes established for conservation or resource extraction), provide the strongest protections for Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women’s tenure rights—showing that the legal advancement of communities and community women can and does go hand in hand.
- Legal reforms that generally overlook or actively diminish community women’s forest tenure rights appear to be eroding the positive association between communities’ and community women’s forest tenure rights under national law.
How to cite the data:
Source: Rights and Resources Initiative. 2025. Resilience and Resistance: Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Local Community Women’s Statutory Rights to Community Forests. Rights and Resources Initiative, Washington, DC. doi: 10.53892
Source: Rights and Resources Initiative. 2025. Resilience and Resistance: Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and Local Community Women’s Statutory Rights to Community Forests. Rights and Resources Initiative, Washington, DC. doi: 10.53892
Read RRI’s Methodologies: Gender and Depth of Rights.
RRI’s Gender Database builds on the Bundle of Rights to assess the extent to which the same 35 countries’ legal frameworks recognize Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local community women’s specific rights to community forests, and whether those states are meeting their obligations under national and international laws. These frameworks, called community-based tenure regimes (CBTRs), are defined as distinguishable sets of national, state-issued laws and regulations governing “all situations under which the right to own or manage terrestrial natural resources is held at the community level.”
Learn more about RRI’s Gender Methodology.
Women’s Rights to Community Forests, Global Data
- 2016
- 2024
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Case by Case
Not Applicable
Full Credit
Partial Credit
No Credit
Case by Case
Not Addressed
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Women's Rights to Community Forests, Regional Comparison
- 2016 - Overarching Rights
- 2024 - Overarching Rights
Constitutional Equal Protection
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Women's Property Rights
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Inheritance in National Laws
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Constitutional Equal Protection
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Women's Property Rights
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Inheritance in National Laws
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
- 2016 - CBTR-Specific Rights
- 2024 - CBTR-Specific Rights
Membership
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
CBTR-Specific Inheritance
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Voting (Governance)
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Leadership (Governance)
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Dispute Resolution
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Membership
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
CBTR-Specific Inheritance
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Voting (Governance)
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Leadership (Governance)
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.
Dispute Resolution
Source: RRI. 2024. Depth of Rights Database.