Social
Land back
An Indigenous-led movement, principally in North America, calling for the return of decision-making power over — and in many cases title to — ancestral lands to Indigenous peoples.
Definition
Land Back is an Indigenous-led movement seeking the restoration of Indigenous governance, stewardship and, in varying formulations, ownership of traditional territories taken through colonisation. Its demands range from literal land return and co-management to treaty honouring, comprehensive land claims, self-government and the re-establishment of Indigenous relationships with land.
References
Movement definition, decision-making power and self-determination framing, treaty context
Range of meanings from land return to stewardship and sovereignty
Overview
What it means
The phrase compresses an intergenerational set of claims: for some it means restoring legal title; for others, stewardship and cultural reconnection; for political leaders, self-governing agreements.
Proponents argue that current settler governance excludes Indigenous peoples from land-use decisions while failing to limit industrial activity, driving ecosystem decline — and that Indigenous jurisdiction is both a rights question and a conservation strategy, given Indigenous peoples' record as effective land stewards.
How it is used
The concept appears in land-policy debates, conservation planning (Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas), treaty and co-management negotiations, corporate engagement on Indigenous rights, and FPIC frameworks.
Why it matters
Land Back links Indigenous rights, environmental protection and decolonisation, and is reshaping how governments, conservation organisations and companies approach land governance.
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