The Indigenous World is the unique result of a collaborative effort between Indigenous and non-indigenous activists and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. This yearly overview serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced throughout 2022.

The Indigenous World 2023 also includes a special focus on conservation and Indigenous Peoples’ rights.

Currently, 15% of the world’s surface is made of protected areas and that number is expected to double by 2030. While there is work being done to adopt conservation measures that respect the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, considerable implementation gaps remain, and conservation measures have caused and continue to cause human rights violations of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories constitute at least 28% of the global land surface including unique ecosystems and vital biodiversity. Over the years, Indigenous Peoples have consistently emphasised that conservation should be regarded as their responsibility as their land management practices have repeatedly been found to be some of the best strategies for biodiversity conservation.

Over the years, Indigenous Peoples have consistently emphasised that conservation should be regarded as their responsibility as their land management practices have repeatedly been found to be some of the best strategies for biodiversity conservation. Thus, the environment can best be protected by recognising Indigenous Peoples' rights to territory, self-determination, legal representation and cultural freedom. However, one main tenet of conservationists is that preservation, alongside close regulations and restrictions, can best be achieved when people are removed from the protected areas, meaning that Indigenous Peoples are often forcibly evicted. This becomes increasingly dangerous for Indigenous Peoples as more countries move to conserve the remaining planet’s biodiversity by creating more protected areas, disregarding their rights to land, territories and resources and often without their free, prior and informed consent.

Though we have chosen to focus on conservation and Indigenous Peoples’ rights this year, we encourage the analysis of their situation in every edition because reporting on their lives and the implementation of their rights is imperative, essential and crucial to fully reporting on the world of Indigenous Peoples and society as a whole.

The 56 regional and country reports and 17 reports on international processes and initiatives covered in this edition underscore these trends. IWGIA publishes this volume with the intent that it is used as a documentation tool and as an inspiration to promote, protect and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples, their struggles, worldview and resilience.