Grassroots Groups Protect 40% of Earth's Priority Lands

When Indigenous communities, farmers, and local activists stand up against mining companies or industrial pollution, they're doing more than protecting their own backyards. They're guarding the planet's most critical ecosystems.

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed 2,801 environmental conflicts across 152 countries from 1992 to 2022. The research uncovered something remarkable: about 40% of all documented grassroots movements occur within the top 30% of global priority lands for species conservation.

These aren't trained conservationists or government officials. They're ordinary people resisting environmental threats from mining, fossil fuels, industrial agriculture, and waste management in their communities. Yet their local struggles align perfectly with international conservation priorities.

The international research team, led by scientists from Barcelona's Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, found these movements directly support 13 of the 23 targets in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Their actions protect ecosystems, restore damaged lands, and promote sustainable management.

"By resisting environmental degradation to defend their livelihoods and environments, these communities act as a key force for sustainability transformations," explains senior researcher Arnim Scheidel. Civil society has driven social change throughout history, but its role in protecting nature has remained largely unrecognized until now.

The Bright Side

Despite facing serious obstacles, these grassroots movements are winning meaningful victories for the planet. Their resistance prevents destructive projects from moving forward and creates lasting protection for vital ecosystems.

The researchers identified three concrete ways governments and international organizations can amplify this positive impact. First, recognize these movements as conservation allies rather than obstacles. Second, strengthen them by providing better access to resources and support networks. Third, protect environmental defenders through enhanced security and human rights enforcement.

The study does reveal a sobering reality: one-third of documented movements face repression, criminalization, or violence, especially in Africa and the Americas. These risks intensify in high-priority conservation areas where biodiversity protection matters most.

But the solution is clear. "Recognizing, supporting and protecting socio-environmental movements can empower their capacity to catalyze lasting change for the benefit of both people and the planet," says ICREA researcher Victoria Reyes-García.

Protecting Earth's biodiversity doesn't require starting from scratch when thousands of communities are already doing the work.