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 BendiciĆ³n 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 BendiciĆ³n.
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 BendiciĆ³n 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 BendiciĆ³n.
From RRI Newsletter
Jan-Mar 2015