Insights
Who decides how community data is used?
Putting community voices at the centre of data decisions
in carbon and nature projects.
Marisa C. Rodrigues
September 2026
Developing a carbon or conservation project often starts with gathering information: mapping land, understanding livelihoods, recording how natural resources are used, and learning from local knowledge.
This information helps shape projects, assess risks and attract funding. It can also include sensitive details about families, customary land use, community businesses and places of cultural importance. An important question needs to be discussed from the beginning: who decides what happens to it?
At Groundd, we believe communities should have a meaningful say in how information about their territories, livelihoods and knowledge is collected, shared and used. These decisions should be part of project planning, with clear responsibilities and space for communities to set their own conditions.
A clear conversation about data
Agreeing to participate in a project should come with a clear conversation about information. People should understand what they are being asked to share, why it is needed, who will have access, and whether it could be used for other purposes.
For example, a community may agree to map its natural resources to help develop a management plan. Before that map is shared with investors, uploaded to a public platform or used in another project, there should be an agreement about whether those uses are appropriate and what information can be included.
Some decisions also need to be made collectively. A person can share information about their own livelihood, but knowledge about a sacred site or a shared territory may require discussion through the community’s own institutions and decision-making processes.
This is what community data sovereignty means in practical terms: communities having authority over decisions about information that concerns them.
What should this look like in practice?
For organisations working with communities, we recommend building a few commitments into project design:
Agree on the use of data before collecting it. Explain the purpose in accessible language, discuss what participation involves, and follow the community’s own decision-making processes.
Put responsibilities in writing. Clarify who holds the information, who can access it, how long it will be kept, and what happens if the project ends or changes hands.
Protect sensitive knowledge. Agree on what should remain confidential, what can be shared in summary form, and what should not be recorded.
Discuss new uses before they happen. Establish a process for seeking agreement when information is proposed for another purpose or shared with additional organisations.
Make the information useful locally. Return maps, findings and reports in formats and languages communities can understand and use.
Support a role beyond data collection. Involve communities in interpreting findings, setting priorities and deciding what happens next.
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The
Community
Agree on the use of data
before collecting it
Put responsibilities
in writing
Protect sensitive knowledge
Make the information useful locally
Support a role beyond data collection
Discuss new uses before they happen
Making information useful to the people who share it
A map can help a community explain its priorities. A livelihood assessment can support an enterprise proposal. Monitoring results can inform decisions about land and resources.
These benefits should be discussed from the outset. Communities should have opportunities to explain what they want to learn from the process and which outputs would be useful to them. Access may require printed maps, a community meeting or training to manage and update information over time.
For Groundd, responsible data management is part of good community engagement. Our role is to help translate community knowledge and priorities into practical plans and information that partners and funders can use, with clear agreements about how that information is handled.
The question we want every project to ask: how will this information serve the people who shared it?