WWF’s policy statement on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation outlines our commitments to recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination and to their lands, territories, and natural resources. Further, WWF recognizes that conservation and regeneration activities benefit from Indigenous Peoples being partners in their design and implementation.

Within the WWF Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework, the standard on Indigenous Peoples sets out the requirements and procedures applicable to interventions that may affect Indigenous Peoples, or their lands, territories and resources in the landscapes and seascapes where we work.

WWF recognizes the right of Indigenous Peoples to give, modify, withhold or withdraw their free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) to interventions, or parts thereof, that may affect their peoples, or their lands, territories, and natural resources. 

WWF will not promote or support, and may actively oppose interventions affecting Indigenous Peoples, or their lands, territories, and resources that have not received the FPIC of the potentially affected communities

FPIC is a right of Indigenous Peoples and therefore a requirement for all WWF interventions that present the possibility of affecting Indigenous Peoples, or their lands, territories, and resources.

FPIC enables Indigenous Peoples to:

• Exercise their right to self-determination and strengthen customary institutions
• Assess the potential benefits and risks of conservation and regeneration interventions and influence their design to reduce risks and promote benefits
• Collectively determine whether or not to consent to any intervention that may affect their peoples, or their lands, territories, and resource

The requirement for FPIC is foundational to our work and is integrated into our social policies and various safeguards standards. We apply the principles of FPIC to nurture equitable partnerships with Indigenous Peoples and guide the way we design, implement and monitor conservation and regeneration interventions together with Indigenous Peoples.

Information about Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) can be found in several documents, including the WWF Policy on Indigenous Peoples and Conservation and several Standards of the Environmental and Social Safeguards Framework. These can be downloaded below.

WWF’s Environmental and Social Safeguards and Social Policies are extensive and cover many different topics. Below you can find six topics that are frequently searched for.