Representatives from community and Indigenous organizations across Mesoamerica gathered in Petén, Guatemala, from October 8 to 10, to share experiences and results from the EU DeSIRA project: The Five Great Forests of Mesoamerica, an initiative for climate, biodiversity, and people.
The event, facilitated by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) with support from the European Union, brought together Indigenous leaders, community representatives, and technical experts from Belize, Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The dialogue focused on strengthening forest conservation through innovation, local governance, and traditional knowledge.
Area under restoration in San Andrés, Petén, Guatemala. Video by Manfredo Martínez (WCS Guatemala)
The project has collaborated with more than 170 local organizations and Indigenous territories, promoting sustainable forest management and traditional production practices. Over 3,000 hectares of forests and degraded landscapes have been restored through participatory processes. In addition, community monitoring and patrol systems were strengthened, and new surveillance cabins were installed at strategic points in the Guna Yala region.
During the workshop, the project’s main results were presented to more than 150 participants from the Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs) in Petén, along with testimonials from leaders of the seven sub-grants implemented in Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. Participants exchanged lessons on conservation, restoration, sustainable livelihoods, women’s participation, community monitoring, and institutional strengthening, among other topics. They also visited restoration areas “La Casona” and “El Tanque” in the La Colorada concession, San Andrés, Petén.
The workshop also highlighted an internal WCS Mesoamerica session with project partners to analyze processes, lessons learned, training needs, and threat assessments for Indigenous and local community territories. It was a true “win–win” exercise—for both the organizations and WCS itself—on how to improve grant effectiveness and ensure better investment of resources at the community level, with transparency, administrative and financial oversight, and the reliability required for international cooperation and reporting.
“Indigenous peoples have inherited the responsibility to protect forests and live in harmony with nature,” said Rodolfo Berrugate, from the Emberá-Wounaan territory in Panama.
“Conserving the forest strengthens our identity and unites us in the face of climate change,” emphasized Paola Palacios, from the Indigenous Network of Costa Rica.
Among those attending were Óscar Núñez Saravia, Strategic Partnerships Coordinator for WCS Mesoamerica; Nazareth Porras, Head of Cooperation for EU Programs in Central America; the WCS Guatemala restoration team; and representatives from the Association of Indigenous Women of Talamanca (ACOMUITA), NAIRI–KABATA, Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation, and DÍWÖ Ambiental (Costa Rica), as well as from the Guna Yala General Congress and the Emberá Territory (Panama).
The lessons from the EU DeSIRA program demonstrate that rural innovation, combined with traditional knowledge and collective action, can transform territories and ensure the well-being of future generations.
Learn more at 5greatforestsinitiative.org