New report offers guidance on Indigenous land access and return partnerships

The Native Land Conservancy and the Land Trust Alliance have released a new report aimed at advancing Indigenous land access and return. “Partnerships for Indigenous Land Access and Return: A Summary of Legal and Relational Pathways” was developed in collaboration with Tahoma Peak Solutions and an advisory team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous experts, according to the Land Trust Alliance.

The report outlines more than 70 examples of land being returned or access being restored to tribes and Indigenous-led nonprofits across the United States. It includes case studies, legal strategies and recommendations for building partnerships. Ramona Peters, founder of the Native Land Conservancy, was quoted in a press release as saying, “Restoring land to the care of the original people will revitalize those connections to the land.” The report is available on the Land Trust Alliance’s Resource Center and the Native Land Conservancy Initiatives website.