Governance Capacity as Nexus Infrastructure: Supporting Uptake of IPBES Assessments in Indigenous and Community-Governed Contexts

Policy Guidance and Capacity-Building Resource

Supporting Uptake of the IPBES Nexus and Transformative Change Assessments

Author: Stephanie Zabriskie
ORCID: 0009-0000-9273-1529
Affiliation: Humanculture (Indigenous-led nonprofit organization)
Capacity: Founder and Executive Director

Associated Platforms

IPBES
UNFCCC LCIPP
Journal of Nonprofit Innovation (JoNI)

Purpose

This policy guidance supports the uptake and use of the IPBES Biodiversity–Water–Food–Health Nexus Assessment and the Transformative Change Assessment by clarifying how their governance-related findings apply in contexts where Indigenous and community-governed systems already operate in alignment with Nexus principles.

In many Indigenous and low-infrastructure contexts, integrated management of biodiversity, water, food, and health is not absent or aspirational. It is actively practiced through existing governance arrangements that prioritize continuity, access, legitimacy, and coordination under prolonged environmental and institutional stress.

The implementation challenge addressed in this guidance therefore lies not in introducing new practices at the community level, but in aligning external policies, funding mechanisms, and institutional interventions so they do not undermine existing system coherence.

Abstract

Indigenous and community-governed systems across the Global South routinely manage biodiversity, water, food, and health as interconnected systems rather than sectoral domains. These systems have evolved to function under prolonged uncertainty, resource scarcity, and limited infrastructure, often aligning closely with the principles articulated in the IPBES Nexus and Transformative Change Assessments.

This policy guidance draws on applied field observation, governance analysis, and UN-submitted policy work to identify where implementation failures commonly arise when external institutions attempt to apply Nexus-aligned approaches in Indigenous contexts. It emphasizes governance alignment, institutional restraint, and accountability coherence as prerequisites for successful uptake.

The guidance is intended to assist policymakers, donors, and implementing organizations in translating IPBES findings into actions that work with existing governance systems rather than displacing or fragmenting them, thereby strengthening outcomes across biodiversity, water, food, and health without eroding Indigenous authority or system integrity.

Status and Availability

Format: Online policy guidance

Status: Ongoing and publicly accessible

Initial publication: January 2026

Updates: Periodic, as additional UN-facing work is released

Download the full paper (PDF):

Governance Capacity as Nexus Infrastructure: Supporting Uptake of IPBES Assessments in Indigenous and Community-Governed Contexts