Endogenous development is a community process of defining and working towards future plans according to local values and priorities. In contrast with other theories of development that emphasize varying degrees of external input, it draws on a body of experience that suggests that communities are more likely to remain cohesive and sustain their traditions, cultures, spirituality, and natural resources when they develop their future collectively and base their plans on the resources available within the community. Endogenous development does not reject the notion of external agencies providing assistance, but stresses that any interventions must be undertaken only after the free, prior and informed consent of the community is given and when the activities are developed, driven, monitored, and evaluated by the community. Endogenous development theory supports the proposition that the more endogenous the legal education and rights-based approach, the more likely the process is to be genuinely empowering. Biocultural community protocols, described in the next page, are one endogenous rights-based approach that communities are using to affirm their right to self-determination.