IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Governance, Equity and Rights Specialist Group

Recognising ICCAs–territories of life overlapped by protected areas

2026 Stevens, Stan |

This Summary is an expanded version of the Executive Summary of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Good Practice Guidelines on Protected and Conserved Areas Series volume on Recognising territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs) overlapped by protected areas.

Recognising territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities (ICCAs) overlapped by protected areas

Many protected areas worldwide overlap with ‘territories and areas conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities’ or ‘ICCAs’ (Indigenous peoples’ and community conserved areas’). These overlapped ICCAs include conserved commons, sacred places and Indigenous and community protected areas.