A New Paradigm: Indigenous Leadership in Conservation
The IPLC Science Fund is a revolutionary endowment model established with the USD 250,000 Bonus Prize from the XPRIZE Rainforest Competition. It is designed to provide a sustainable, long-term source of financing for Indigenous-led initiatives, transforming biodiversity finance from the ground up.
The Fund is co-chaired by Marina Mura, an Indigenous scientist from Aldeia Inhaâ-bé, and Gabriel Nunes, a science lead at the international non-profit GainForest.
Project Objective: The Fund’s vision, which is fixed and cannot be altered, is:
"To provide, develop, and research accessible technologies and data, by and with Indigenous and local communities, that support self-determined development towards the full and effective implementation of community-led conservation initiatives and Indigenous science projects."
Addressing Funding Inequity: The endowment model directly challenges traditional, restrictive conservation funding. Fund Co-chair Gabriel Nunes commented on the necessity of this shift:
“For too long, conservation funding has operated through grant-based models that make it nearly impossible for nature stewards to compete with global universities and well-resourced institutes... This fund changes that by putting financial power directly in the hands of nature stewards.”
Co-chair Marina Mura further emphasized the importance of the Indigenous perspective:
“To understand a territory, you must listen to those who were born and breathe in it. Projects made about the Amazon, but without the Amazonians, end up being superficial... views from the outside, from above the trees. We want to change this.”
How It Works: The fund ensures Indigenous leadership through a rigorous governance structure. An Indigenous Data Council will evaluate and approve submitted projects, ensuring that only those aligned with their community’s values and priorities are financed. This structural safeguard requires the full consensus of Indigenous and Local Representatives for all funding decisions, restoring genuine conservation protagonism to nature’s stewards.
Commitment of the University of Lodz: From Prize-Winning Science to Partnership
The establishment of the IPLC Science Fund is directly linked to the success of the ETH BiodivX Team, which includes our own prominent scientist, Dr Andrea Desiderato from the University of Lodz, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection (WBiOŚ).
Dr Desiderato was directly involved in the crucial environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and analysis aspects of the team's pioneering work. This also includes an active collaboration with the National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) in Manaus to develop vital barcode reference libraries for aquatic crustaceans of the Amazon region.
Our involvement in the team’s pioneering work underscores the University of Lodz commitment to ethical, equitable and effective global conservation.
Dr Desiderato commented on the significance of the fund’s launch at this major global climate event:
“The XPRIZE Rainforest competition underscored a key insight for our team: effective conservation hinges on the active involvement and essential knowledge of indigenous and local communities,” said the biologist Andrea Desiderato of Lodz University’s Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection. "To Indigenous communities striving for inclusion in climate decisions at COP30, this fund announcement serves as our commitment: We not only hear their voices but are actively moving to partner with them and integrate them into climate action."
The Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection is thus actively championing this new direction in equitable global science.
Join the Call for Endorsement and Partnership
We encourage our community to learn more about this groundbreaking endowment and join the global movement for equitable conservation.
Together with the ETH BiodivX team, we invite you to officially endorse the IPLC Science Endowment Fund using the form below.
Learn More about the IPLC Science Fund: www.biodivx.org
Endorse the Fund Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdZtFVFlRsP-YWaoKK7z-ENuxbQ-UVFvxf4mgYxyTNo-DZ9Lw/viewform
Source and photos: Dr Andrea Desiderato
Edit: Mateusz Kowalski (Promotion Centre, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz)
