Federally funded Indigenous-led conservation programs are delivering highly effective climate and biodiversity outcomes, aligning with national greenhouse gas mitigation and biodiversity goals, according to a new paper led by Concordia researchers. Writing in the journal Earth’s Future, the authors say these programs, as Indigenous-led Nature-based Solutions (NbS), can be just as or even more effective at carbon storage and biodiversity conservation as conventional national and provincial parks. “Most of the knowledge we have about Indigenous-led conservation efforts comes from countries in the tropics,” says lead author Camilo Alejo, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. “We want to explore the effect of government support on Indigenous-led initiatives in the Canadian context.” The study examines two Indigenous-led NbS: the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) and the Indigenous Guardians programs.