Protected areas and RURAL COMUNITIES : A natural COEXISTENCE

1. Protected areas and RURAL COMUNITIES : A natural COEXISTENCE “Zones of Conflict and Development,A Challenge toward a Governance with Social Participation ” “Central American Indigenous and Peasant Coordinator of Communal Agro forestryin Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.

2. 7% of the Earth’s biodiversity, where 20 zones of live, 300 different landscapes CCAD 1998 20.000 species of flora of the 90.000 described for the humid tropic CCAD 1998 35 millions of people (CELADE 2000) 14 Ethnic groups 9 millions of Indigenous People Estado de Región 1999 679 Protected Areas of which 398 have obtained legal statuts (Fuente: Gestión Ambiental Centroamericana CCAD 1998). 400. 000 ha. Annual deforestation Ungovernability= Illegal logging is 40 % of the domestic consumption 17.5 millions of Central American people live in poor conditions, (49.9% of the population) CEPAL 2001 Regional Summary

3. In this scenario CICAFOC has managed to organized more of 70 community organizations into a Central American Networking.

4. Communities Actions Within Buffer zones of the Protected Areas

5. Quality of life: Agroecologic Productive Systems and Food Security

6. Stabilization of the Agricultural Frontier and Transference of capacities peasant to peasant

7. Accesses to natural resources and Community Management 400.000 has, of forest certificates by FSC 575.000 has of forest in community management The areas of forests managed by the communities have achieved to reduce the forest fires, showing, that the effective way to conserve the forests is to involve the population in its management

8. Management of non- timber forest products and landscape as agent of eco- development of the communities

9. Communitarian Management for the Access of Water Resources

10. The network composed of experiences that works like a natural connection between leaders, who share their best experiences to make and to propose new forms of communitarian development Expressed in: • 575.000 has. of Forest under communitarian management plans of which 400.000 has. are certified. • 375,749 has. covered in agroecologic systems managed by indigenous and peasant organizations • 2.6 million hectares of forest cover into the hands of communitarian organizations, who represent 14,5 % of the total of 18 million hectares of forest cover in Central America.

11. Conclusion Gathering ACICAFOC´s successful communitarian experiences, it has managed to generate a set of instruments and tools with conditions to constitute into a regional monitoring system of the economic, ecological and social sustainability of the communitarian experiences in relation to the protected areas The importance of the communitarian participation in the construction of the policies and legislation is undeniable that entail to a New Governability Model on the natural assets of Mesoamerica

12. Requirementos It is necessary to fortify the capacity of the local, municipal and national institutions so that they generate agreements in the management of the Protected Areas. That the vision that the rural community's inhabitants are ill-mannered in environmental matter be changed It is necessary to advance towards institutionalized mechanisms of community participation, beyond false formal consultations, establishing permanent processes of work and true dialogues. Not to blame to the peasant, Afro descendants and indigenous communities as the principal promoters of environmental conflicts and the ungovernability in the protected areas. That the restrictive and now anachronic concept of protected areas be abandoned once and for all,giving rise to the concept of managed sustainable areas.

13. Challenges To redefine the strategy of management of the protected areas on new bases, from a redistribution of benefits and responsibilities between the national governing institutions, the municipal authorities and the local groups To grant social and organizational productive content,to the buffer zones, recognizing that only the communities that inhabit them have the capacity to translate this important function in concrete actions.

14. We appeal to the cooperation agencies , to be part of this new accompaniment model , where the communities actively participate. This new accompaniment model will be apply with the project that is in the negotiation process with Global Environment Facility –GEF-, “Indigenous Community Integrated Ecosystem Management Project ” . This project will be executed by (ACICAFOC) and the Central American Indigenous Council (CICA)