WWF and Land Portal Foundation to co-lead Land Corruption and Rights Working Group, advancing transparent and rights-based land governance
Land governance is increasingly recognized as a key link between conservation, climate action, human rights, and efforts to address environmental corruption. In this context, WWF and Land Portal Foundation are pleased to partner as co-leads of the Land Corruption and Rights Working Group within the Countering Environmental Corruption Practitioners Forum.
Combining WWF’s expertise in conservation and governance with Land Portal Foundation’s leadership in land data and transparency, the partnership will support peer learning, knowledge exchange, and practical approaches that strengthen transparency, accountability, and community rights in land and natural resource governance.
Land corruption, rights, and environmental governance: why it matters in practice
Decisions about land are never just technical or administrative; they determine who has access, who benefits, and who is excluded from environmental and climate outcomes.
Land corruption is closely linked to governance failures and abuse of power. Weak oversight, opaque decision-making, and limited transparency can enable land grabbing, illegal logging, extractive activities, and unsustainable land conversion, undermining conservation and climate action.
Poor access to reliable land data and unclear ownership records increase corruption risks and weaken accountability, often disproportionately affecting Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Land corruption can also lead to violations of tenure rights, exclusion from decision-making, and threats against environmental defenders.
Addressing these challenges requires a rights-based approach that promotes transparency, accountability, land tenure security, and free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).
Looking ahead
Through this partnership, WWF and Land Portal Foundation hope to foster stronger collaboration among actors working across conservation, land governance, anti-corruption, and human rights sectors.
As pressures on land and natural resources continue to intensify, addressing corruption and strengthening rights-based governance approaches will be essential for achieving durable conservation outcomes and advancing climate and biodiversity goals.
The Land Corruption and Rights Working Group offers an important space for collective learning, dialogue, and action, bringing together diverse expertise and experiences to advance more transparent, inclusive, and accountable land governance systems worldwide.
Spotlight on innovative Land and Environmental Data initiatives
The State of Land Information Index (SOLIndex) from the Land Portal assesses the completeness and openness of public sector land data. By benchmarking transparency gaps and highlighting structural weaknesses, the SOLIndex provides governments, civil society, and development partners with evidence to guide reform.
WWF Risk Filter Suite v3.0 contains two free online tools – WWF Water Risk Filter and WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter - designed to be used by companies and financial institutions to assess and act on their water and biodiversity risks. The most significant update in RFS v3.0 is the introduction of WWF’s new Regulatory Deficiency Risk data. This data can be leveraged for deeper engagement in advocacy for better regulations on water and biodiversity.
Restor.eco is a global nature restoration and transparency platform widely used in ecosystem monitoring, conservation planning, and impact reporting. By combining geospatial data with collaborative reporting features, Restor supports evidence-based decision-making and strengthens accountability in ecosystem restoration and conservation initiatives.
WWF’s OECM Platform supports inclusive and effective area-based conservation worldwide. As many Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) overlap with Indigenous territories and community-managed lands, the platform also creates opportunities to strengthen transparent, rights-based conservation approaches that support land tenure security, community stewardship, and safeguards against environmental corruption.
Additional readings and tools can be found on our Land Corruption and Rights working group page.