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Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in Action: Case Studies of How to Put Community Consent at the Heart of Climate Solutions

  • Wildlife Works
  • 5 hours ago
  • 3 min read

At Wildlife Works, we believe that sustainable climate solutions are led by local communities, and that means as project developers, our top priority is building relationships rooted in trust, transparency, and continual consent.


That’s why we’ve developed a dynamic Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)  implementation framework that reflects our commitment to ongoing dialogue and equitable collaboration with Indigenous and local communities. FPIC isn’t a checkbox or a single event. It’s a living, evolving process, like the flight of a hummingbird, shifting direction with the currents of community needs, knowledge-sharing, and trust.


Here we dive into the four interconnected components of our implementation model, each grounded in real-world case studies from Wildlife Works projects around the world.


Stakeholder Engagement


Key principle:  Build relationships founded in trust through cultural and interpersonal exchange to understand and respect the communities' culture, traditions and laws. 


Building trust starts with cultural exchange, listening, and identifying all those whose rights and lives may be impacted by a project. Each community is unique, and the FPIC process itself needs to be adaptable to a community’s needs. In Brazil, we co-designed our FPIC process with Indigenous communities from the start, facilitating workshops to jointly define how consent would be sought, and engaging youth as cultural translators to ensure that every concept landed with clarity and respect.



FPIC in Brazil
FPIC in Brazil


Equitable Access to Information


Key principle: Work with community stakeholders to co-create and share the information needed for their informed decisions on starting and shaping a REDD+ project.


Equitable access to information in culturally appropriate ways is essential for communities to make informed decisions with the same level of understanding as all other stakeholders.  By presenting transparent information in engaging ways, communities can develop a deeper understanding of how REDD+ projects function. In Colombia, the community engagement team led by Javier Mancera, translated REDD+ concepts into hands-on learning through engaging educational games. From puzzles demonstrating territory maps to climate-themed Jenga, these games helped demystify scientific concepts and the jargon of the carbon market. These creative tools fostered shared understanding across generations, laying a strong foundation for informed consent.



FPIC in Colombia
FPIC in Colombia


Co-Created Agreements


Key Principle:  Coming to an agreement follows clear protocols for inclusive, equitable communication, negotiations and cross-stakeholder validations.          


Consent is not meaningful without collaboration. In Indonesia’s Gerbang Barito region, communities from Batampang and Batilap came together to shape the REDD+ project through their established governance bodies: neighborhood assemblies. The FPIC process honored every voice: leaders, women, youth, and elders. These sessions of inclusive dialogue shaped a project that reflects the vision of those who call the forest home.



FPIC in Indonesia
FPIC in Indonesia

Continuous Monitoring and Feedback


Key Principle: Facilitating open dialog    


FPIC doesn’t end when project agreements are signed. At the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya, Locational Carbon Committees (LCCs)  ensure communities stay at the helm of project governance. These elected bodies monitor project implementation, manage feedback loops, and help uphold community-driven development decades after the first FPIC conversations.




community governance in Kenya
Community Governance at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya

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