Source: Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica
- 47% of Central America's carbon is found in The 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica.
- Illegal cattle ranching is responsible for 90% of deforestation in some of these forests.
- At the last United Nations Convention on Climate Change (COP27) held in Egypt at the end of 2022, the European Union announced the approval of $25 million dollars to conserve "The 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica" (5GBM).
Currently, the consortium of this initiative is implementing a project of about 5 million euros funded by EU DeSIRA, in the framework of which this January 27, 2023 they met with representatives of the Network of Indigenous Bribri and Cabécar Peoples (RIBCA), the Association of Indigenous Women Kábata Könana and the Coordinating Committee of Women Territorial Leaders of Mesoamerica (CMLT) and the Youth Movement of the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), in the Talamanca-Cabécar territory, Limón province, Costa Rica, to learn about progress, analyze how the process of integrating Indigenous Peoples into the implementation of these funds will be carried out, in the specific case of La Amistad-El Pila Park, and establish a mechanism for political and technical dialogue between the Association for Integral Development (ADIS) and the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC).
Context
The 5GBM initiative was created in 2019, in a joint effort of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), together with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD), the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), Re:Wild; and with the participation of the indigenous peoples who have protected these territories since ancestral times, environmental organizations of the civil society and governments of the region.
The Goals for 2030 of the 5GBM initiative are:
- 10 million hectares of forests protected
- 500,000 hectares of forests recovered
- Zero species extinctions and illegal livestock grazing in the 5GBM
- Improved human well-being, especially for indigenous peoples and local communities.
The 5 Great Forests of Mesoamerica are: the Selva Maya in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize; La Moskitia in Nicaragua and Honduras; Indio Maíz-Tortuguero in Nicaragua and Costa Rica; La Amistad in Costa Rica and Panama; and El Darién in Panama and Colombia.
Although most of these forests are legally protected, they face strong threats from the advance of the agricultural frontier, mining, cattle ranching, and the construction of hydroelectric dams. Large international companies and governments in the region are engaged in these businesses and are directly responsible for deforestation and biodiversity loss.
It is therefore crucial that indigenous peoples and local communities, who have historically defended these forests and have a deep understanding of the challenges of conservation in each territory, be part of the dialogue table from the process of creating the projects, to ensure that they are effective according to local realities.
Agreements
During this first meeting on the 5GBM project with representatives of the Bribri and Cabécar indigenous peoples in Talamanca, some potential risks were recognized and the following agreements were established:
- Ensure that indigenous peoples are included and consulted in all phases of the project to be implemented in the territories, not only as beneficiaries, but as co-authors.
- Generate a strategic plan and a system of permanent dialogue and monitoring at a multi-stakeholder level.Ensure that any tourism initiative in indigenous territories is based on principles of consultation and identity, created locally and legally.
- Address the issue of illegal tourism in indigenous territories in a multi-stakeholder manner.
- Prioritize funds for the governance of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities.
- Create joint plans for sustainable development and production.
- Recognize and include specific productive entrepreneurship projects for women and youth.
La Amistad Park
In Costa Rica, the 5GBM project will be implemented in La Amistad International Park (EL PILA), a transboundary park created by the governments of Costa Rica (PILA-Costa Rica) and Panama (PILA-Panama) by bringing together the Talamanca Mountain Range Reserve and La Amistad National Park, respectively, into a single entity between the two nations. The park was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983 [1], and declared an International Peace Park, following UNESCO's 1988 recommendation.
It has an area of 401,000 ha, in Costa Rica (193,929 ha), divided between the provinces of San José, Cartago, Limón and Puntarenas; and in Panama (207,000 ha) it covers the provinces of Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí, as well as the Naso Tjër Di region.
Source: Coordinadora de Mujeres Líderes Territoriales de Mesoamérica