Equator Prize 2023: Celebrating the role of Local Action in achieving the Global Biodiversity Framework

This year’s Equator Prize will recognize innovative initiatives from Indigenous peoples and local communities that showcase approaches to implementing the newly-approved Global Biodiversity Framework, with an emphasis on nature-based solutions that achieve local sustainable development. Winning initiatives will be honored for their successes in protecting, restoring, and/or sustainably managing nature for nature-positive development outcomes. Thematic priorities include:

• Creating a planetary safety net. Actions to protect, restore and/or sustainably manage ecosystems to help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, enable community-based adaption to the impacts of climate change, and to ensure essential ecosystem services. This includes actions to:
  • Protect and restore nature in order to ensure food and water security; mitigate and adapt to climate change; reduce risks from natural disasters, and safeguard biodiversity, including through ensuring habitat connectivity and species migration.
  • Safeguard Indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, territories, and resources, including through the use of cutting-edge technology

• Redefining Our Relationship with Nature: Actions that help to redefine our relationship with nature by putting nature at the heart of local development plans and policies, and by defending the rights of land and water defenders. This includes actions to:
  • Integrate Indigenous peoples and local communities’ concepts, traditional knowledge, vision, and value of nature into local and/or national development plans and policies
  • Defend land and water defenders, advocate for land and water rights, and promote social and environmental justice.

• Creating a new green economy for people and planet. Actions to protect, restore and/or sustainably manage terrestrial, aquatic or marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and/or wildlife that sustains jobs and livelihoods, including through micro- and small green enterprises, and including the promotion of Indigenous economies. This includes actions to:
  • Accelerate regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, and sustainable fisheries
  • Ensure Indigenous peoples and local communities and their micro-, small-, and medium- green enterprises (MSMEs) at the heart of fair and inclusive sustainable supply chains
  • Develop sustainable commodity production and promote deforestation-free commodities
  • Support and strengthen Indigenous economies

Special consideration will be given to nominees working on ecosystem integrity, intactness and connectivity; intergenerational equity, and gender equality.

Nominations must be submitted by 27 March 2023, through our online nomination system. If you are having technical issues, please contact us at prize@equatorinitiative.org. Learn more about the Equator Prize 2023, slection criteria and elegibility requirements here.