This may be an example of Environmental Equity for future conservation efforts
March | Escuintla, Guatemala
In recognition of the significant contribution of their traditional practices to environmental conservation, the government agency FONTIERRA reduced the agrarian debt of the 50 families of ECA la Bendición by 95 percent, allowing them to keep the 406 hectares of their ancestral agricultural and forest land. This decision sets a significant precedent, as it is the first time in Guatemala that a community organization was allowed to keep its allotted land based on intangible assets -- in this case, the community's commitment to sustainable forest conservation and water management. The government formally acknowledged the value of customary practices, traditional land use, and the contributions of community-owned land to environmental conservation. This agreement could spark a wave of progress on community land and resource rights by acting as a model of exemplary state-community negotiations. Advocacy for this project was led by Ut'z Che' -- the organization tasked with providing technical assistance to ECA la Bendición.
In recognition of the significant contribution of their traditional practices to environmental conservation, the government agency FONTIERRA reduced the agrarian debt of the 50 families of ECA la Bendición by 95 percent, allowing them to keep the 406 hectares of their ancestral agricultural and forest land. This decision sets a significant precedent, as it is the first time in Guatemala that a community organization was allowed to keep its allotted land based on intangible assets -- in this case, the community's commitment to sustainable forest conservation and water management. The government formally acknowledged the value of customary practices, traditional land use, and the contributions of community-owned land to environmental conservation. This agreement could spark a wave of progress on community land and resource rights by acting as a model of exemplary state-community negotiations. Advocacy for this project was led by Ut'z Che' -- the organization tasked with providing technical assistance to ECA la Bendición.
From RRI Newsletter
Jan-Mar 2015
