National conversion risk assessment for Indigenous Peoples’ lands

Land conversion from industrial development poses significant threats to Indigenous Peoples’ lands around the world. To describe the situation globally, we conducted a global conversion risk assessment that utilizes published datasets that represent Indigenous Peoples’ lands, their current ecological condition, future industrial development pressures, and underlying vulnerability to conversion. <br> To assess conversion vulnerability, we developed a global composite index comprised of national socio-economic and political indicators called the RRC Index. The RRC Index is comprised of indicators that measure the strength and security of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their territories and resources (R), their opportunities for representation and engagement in the decisions impacting them (R), and the capital available to support conservation and sustainable development (C). Interpretation of the RRC Index and its sub-components can aid in the identification of vulnerabilities related to the rights and representation of Indigenous Peoples in decisions impacting their territories and resources, and the capital available to support them. Reciprocally, these vulnerabilities can also suggest potential strategies and actions that might be taken to bolster Indigenous Peoples’ voices, leadership, and agency as they face industrial development worldwide. <br> This data table provides country-level summaries of the data used in our conversion risk assessment, including the total area of each country recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ lands; the total area with high industrial development pressures; sector-specific breakdowns for agriculture, mining, oil and gas, renewables, and urbanization; majority drivers of high development pressure; and conversion threat, vulnerability and risk scores, ranks, and categories.