Carbon offsets in agriculture: linking soil organic carbon and measurement, reporting and verification framework with financial reporting

Kamilė Medeckytė-Žydelė

doi:10.1108/jfra-03-2025-0214

Using an inclusive bioeconomy framework in support of indigenous peoples and local communities living in mountains

2026-08-12

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OA

AI

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JX Jianchu Xu

R

RE R. Edward Grumbine *

DOI：10.3389/fenvs.2026.1856130

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Mountains are intimately connected with the current health and future wellbeing of people and nature on Earth; highlands harbor over half of all global biodiversity hotspots; and billions of people depend on freshwater originating from the world’s “water towers”. Around 500 million people dwell in global mountains with the majority self-identifying as indigenous peoples and/or members of local communities (IPLC). IPLC’s reciprocal relations with lands and lifeways are powerful global drivers for sustaining nature; yet actions to fully recognize the rights of IPLC and support conservation of mountain ecosystems and biocultural diversity remain limited. To address these issues; recent proposals suggest using an inclusive bioeconomy framework (BE) to coordinate international efforts that seek to partner with and support mountain-dwelling IPLC. Originally; bioeconomy work focused on developing bio-based resources to reduce fossil fuel use; today; researchers advocate for a more inclusive BE that comprehensively addresses: biodiversity protection; biocultural conservation; circular economy principles; biotechnology innovation; digital integration; sustainable fair trade; and social equity and justice. But no nation has any form of a BE plan that addresses IPLC living in mountains. In this paper; we specifically focus on mountain-dwelling IPLC in the Global South; this is where the majority of montane IPLC live and where environmental and social sustainability problems are most challenging. We review recent publications and survey ongoing field work to better understand how each of the seven inclusive BE sectors may strengthen support for montane IPLC to reach multiple goals around protecting nature and culture. We find five general trends along with six lessons learned from the literature that are documented across all BE sectors: recognize IPLC rights to self-determination; work to establish equitable partnerships with IPLC; integrate projects across multiple sectors and scales; build knowledge through better data; increase institutional and financial support from governments and the private sector; and substantially scale up efforts for every BE sector. Inclusive BE is not a panacea; but it does offer a more holistic approach for researchers and experts; government workers; and others to reframe and deepen their work as they learn to fully recognize; engage; and support IPLC co-partners.

Keywords:

bioeconomy

indigenous peoples

IPLC rights

mountain ecosystems

mountain social-ecological systems

Using an inclusive bioeconomy framework in support of indigenous peoples and local communities living in mountains

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