Mesoamerican groups develop skills to manage ancestral lands
For more than 100 years, the Rama and Creole (also known as Kriol) peoples of southeastern Nicaragua have been trying to gain control of their land. Not only does it contain the most intact forest within the Rio San Juan Biosphere Reserve, an
important conservation corridor in the Mesoamerica Hotspot, but it also is home to growing numbers of landless poor who have been rapidly encroaching upon and degrading the region’s natural resources.
The Rama and Creole scored a major victory in December 2009 when the Nicaraguan government gave them legal title to the land. While the declaration extended the right to
manage the 407,000 hectares for conservation and sustainable development, it presented a formidable task. The Rama and Creole needed to build their skills to manage their land sustainably and to negotiate with government entities and other
groups regarding land claims.
Developing these skills has been the focus of some of CEPF’s grantees. Active in the region since 2002, CEPF has awarded grants to seven Nicaraguan organizations to assist the Rama and Creole, including the University of the Autonomous Regions
of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (URACCAN), the Friends of Rio San Juan Foundation (FUNDAR), and the Association for Coastal Development and Human Resources (ADEPHCA).
Before 2009, URACCAN worked with the Rama and Creole to fulfill requirements for the land title declaration, which included conducting a census of their territory and a detailed study of their communities.
The work has begun to pay off. FUNDAR, URACCAN and ADEPHCA established park ranger stations staffed with Rama, Creole and mestizo (mixed European and indigenous heritage) guards trained to protect biodiversity and to combat poaching. CEPF partners also helped local communities develop land-use plans and sustainable alternatives to degradation. “We have seen a significant reduction in forest deterioration due to agricultural expansion and wildlife traffi cking,” said Norving Torres, executive director of FUNDAR.
He and other grantees have noticed a less tangible, but equally important, dividend: collaboration among the people in the region. “CEPF has encouraged inclusivity, active participation and direct communication among the various groups to reduce conflicts,” said Diala Lopez, coordinator of URACCAN’s Institute of Natural Resources. “We continue to work closely with indigenous and mestizo leaders . . . and to conduct communitywide environmental education and awareness campaigns.”
As a result of these activities, the Rama and Creole are taking the next steps toward being stewards of their land. They are identifying sites for ecotourism and reforestation, and they are also starting to write their own grant proposals. FUNDAR is helping cacao growers apply sustainable land management practices and to gain organic certification so their products can be exported to Europe.
To ensure that the mestizos understand the declaration’s provisions, ADEPHCA has been teaching them about laws and policies, land management and conflict resolution. “The mestizos are ready for dialogue with the Rama and Creole,” said association technical advisor Dominga López. “They say that they want to participate in land conservation as long as their voices are heard.”