The United States has expressed gratitude to Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim for her insights into the financial challenges Indigenous Peoples face in environmental protection and climate change efforts. The Biden-Harris Administration is allocating $20 million to support federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native corporations as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. This funding will be distributed through competitive grants by the USDA Forest Service, aimed at helping recipients engage with private markets for forest resilience, climate mitigation, water quality, carbon sequestration, and more.
These investments will target work on Tribal lands and align with USDA’s commitment to co-stewardship of National Forests and Grasslands. In 2022, the USDA Forest Service announced nearly 60 new co-stewardship agreements, a number that doubled in 2023 with over 120 new agreements. This resulted in a significant increase from the fiscal year 2022 investment of $19.8 million to approximately $68 million in Tribal agreements. The Forest Service also implemented policy changes recognizing Indigenous Knowledge and improving Tribes' access to USDA programs.
This initiative supports environmental justice and aligns with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims for 40 percent of Federal climate and clean energy benefits to reach disadvantaged communities, including all Federally Recognized Tribes.