Indigenous Peoples have long been leaders in environmental stewardship, yet international conservation institutions continue to limit their political agency. This research examines how post-colonial power structures embedded in multilateral environmental negotiations restrict Indigenous and local actors to marginal, symbolic roles, often as observers rather than decision-makers. Through institutional analysis and interviews with Indigenous delegates and advocates, the study reveals how global conservation spaces reproduce colonial hierarchies under the guise of inclusion.

Rather than advocating for “participation” on imposed terms, the study centers Indigenous demands for self-determination, governance authority, and recognition of territorial knowledge systems. It calls for the transformation of international environmental politics, not through inclusion alone, but through structural shifts that affirm Indigenous leadership and collective rights on the global stage.

Co-authored under the leadership of Dr. Kemi Fuentes-George, this project contributes to ongoing efforts to decolonize global environmental governance and support Indigenous-led diplomacy in multilateral spaces.