Report of the IPBES Indigenous and local knowledge dialogue workshop on scenarios of the future

Abstract

This report summarises the proceedings of the Indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) dialogue workshop on scenarios of the future that was organized by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services (IPBES). The full title of the workshop agreed by the IPBES Plenary was “Workshop to reflect on scenarios and models to better account for different knowledge systems, including Indigenous and local knowledge systems, and Mother Earth-centric scenarios and models.”

The dialogue workshop was held in Subic Bay, the Philippines, from 23 to 26 May 2025. It aimed to provide a platform for discussion between Indigenous Peoples and local communities and members of the IPBES task forces on Indigenous and local knowledge and on scenarios and models, as well as others with experience and expertise in scenarios work.

This report aims to provide a written record of the dialogue workshop, which can inform the future work of the IPBES task forces and can be a resource for all dialogue participants who may wish to review and contribute to the IPBES work at the interface of scenarios and models and Indigenous and local knowledge, as well as others who may be interested in this theme.

The report is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide definitive resolution to the many engaging discussions that emerged during the workshop. Rather, it serves as a written record of those discussions, which will continue to develop and evolve in the months and years ahead. For this reason, clear points of agreement are discussed, but also, if there were diverging views among participants, these are also presented for further attention and discussion.

The text in section 3 represents an attempt to reflect solely the views and contributions of the participants in the dialogue. As such, it does not represent the views of IPBES or UNESCO or reflect upon their official positions.

The agenda and participants’ list for the dialogue workshop are provided in annexes 1 and 3.