Honouring and Protecting Relationship to Land: What can be done about Commodification of Nature by Carbon Markets?

Key Message: Nature-based Solution (NbS) markets’ commodification of nature creates risks that should be carefully considered and addressed.  First 30×30 Canada takes a radically different approach to the growing interest in carbon markets. Rather than commodifying nature in isolation, we recognize the inseparability of land, water, plants, animals, culture, and Indigenous rights.

NbS projects risk treating ecosystems simply as factories that produce tradeable commodities — i.e. resources to be bought and sold, rather than living relatives to be respected and protected. This commodification can feel deeply unsettling to those who honour flora and fauna as Elder kin with their own rights. Yet the very people committed to caring for these ecosystems, especially Indigenous Nations, often struggle to secure the funding needed to sustain their stewardship of land and waters.

This begs the question:  What’s at stake when we over-simplify nature’s value as a producer of marketable units like carbon or biodiversity credits? And is there a way to leverage these nature credit markets to sustainably and sensitively address the need for funding of Indigenous-led nature stewardship?

Why Commodifying Nature Is Problematic

The skepticism around commodifying nature is valid and necessary, here’s why:

• A Legacy of Dispossession: Historically, resource commodification has led to extractive practices that exclude Indigenous peoples from ownership and decision-making. Some NbS projects today repeat this pattern, offering little more than a new version of land/resource grabbing dressed in green branding.
• Oversimplified Metrics: Markets often value single attributes of nature, like its ability to sequester carbon or produce water for human consumption. A focus on managing nature to produce only these marketable services can come at the expense of the health of the broader ecosystem. For instance, a project might prioritize fast-growing monoculture tree plantations to maximize carbon credit yields—while ignoring the negative impacts of this approach on the health of water, soils, and native species. True stewardship of nature requires a holistic approach that manages for multiple interconnecting values, not narrowly defined profit goals.

First 30×30 Canada: A Different Path

First 30×30 takes a radically different approach. Rather than commodifying nature in isolation, we recognize the inseparability of land, water, plants, animals, culture, and Indigenous rights.

The First 30×30 Canada Program—led by Nature For Justice in partnership with the IISAAK OLAM Foundation and Nature Focus Development—has worked hard to design a program that is built on Indigenous leadership, rights, and vision. It aims not just to prevent harm but to proactively advance Indigenous self-determination and reclaim their responsibilities to nature in their territories.

Through this initiative, we support the development of a network of Indigenous-led Land Relationship Plans (also known as Management Plans) and help Indigenous Nations to secure long-term nature stewardship financing through a blend of sources, including where appropriate, carbon, biodiversity or water credits. The goal is long-term empowerment, sovereign stewardship, healthy ecosystems and Indigenous-led prosperity. The program matches Indigenous teams on the ground with the technical and financial resources they need for successful implementation, from early-stage incubation to ongoing support and ensuring equitable sharing of benefits in any commercial finance arrangements.

Specifically, First 30×30 adheres to the following guidelines:

• Rooted in Indigenous Stewardship: We don’t impose market strategies—we begin by understanding each community’s unique vision for land and water, which is inherently holistic and based on an understanding of the complexity of natural systems on their territories. Use of nature credits is a potential nature stewardship financing tool, not an obligation. Some Nations may choose other economic pathways, and we respect that. But for those seeking sustainable alternatives to resource extraction, nature credit markets can offer a promising route.
• Advancing Rights, Not Dispossession: We only support Indigenous-led programs. Indigenous governments are not only the rightful project owners—they are also the decision-makers for what activities take place. At least 70% of revenues are retained within Indigenous communities. This model elevates Indigenous access to nature credit markets while resisting external control and exploitation.
• Economic Opportunity Meets Cultural Revitalization: Properly structured, NbS projects can deliver millions in funding—not just for conservation, but for cultural renewal, health services, education, business development, and other Nation-building efforts. They help reduce dependency on industries that may harm land and culture, creating new pathways that align with Indigenous values.
• Not a Cure-All—But a Vital Tool: Nature credit markets are not a magic bullet. They’re part of a broader climate and development strategy. When guided by Indigenous leadership, they can provide the “missing middle”: supporting both environmental goals and community wellbeing. Revenues can be reinvested in creative, self-determined futures.

So the question isn’t whether nature-based solutions credit markets are good or bad. It’s who leads, who benefits, and whether we’re willing to reimagine conservation as a tool for justice and cultural resurgence—not just ecological metrics.

At First 30×30, we’re interested in whether the insights above speak to the concerns that you have around commodification? What can we collectively do to address the concerns while tapping into the nascent opportunity for long term funding for Indigenous led conservation?

Let’s start the conversation. Please Contact Robin Barr (RBarr@Nature4Justice.org) and Steven Nitah (SNitah@Nature4Justice.org).

Visit First30x30.earth to learn more