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Healing the Earth’s lungs

Guatemala’s Indigenous peoples and local communities are leading the way in sustainable forest management

March 19^th, 2021

“If there are no trees, there is no oxygen,” - Paulina Par.

With rampant destruction of forests all over the world, it is not bold to say that the lungs of the Earth are sick. In Guatemala, Indigenous and local community members of the Utz Che' Community Forestry Association – and its former president Paulina - are part of the solution. The name for this network of organizations, “Utz Che'”, means “Good Tree” in the Mayan K'iche language. Its members are responsible for protecting more than 74,000 hectares of forest in the mountains of Guatemala. They are training thousands of families in better farming practices, and recruit volunteers to plant trees in degraded areas.

More than 40 communities and farmers' associations are part of Utz Che’. They represent 200,000 people. Of these, 90 percent are Indigenous, many of whom faced displacement and killings during the internal conflicts that lasted from 1960 to 1996. The struggles of these same communities continue today in the face of the threat of mining and timber companies operating in the region.

“If there are no trees, there is no oxygen”, says Paulina Par.

"People who have nothing to do with the forest we have planted here are now coming to take it away," says Rodolfo Pérez Santiago, member of Utz Che’.

The COVID-19 pandemic has become an opportunity for the mining and monoculture-focused agricultural industry to lobby for social acceptance, and change regulations to favor the industry. This has come at the expense of the health and safety of local communities and the planet. Utz Che' has succeeded in defending the rights of its members and facilitating the recognition of Indigenous land rights.

The mission of the Utz Che' network is to strengthen sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management in Guatemala, while improving the economy of local communities and ensuring the recognition of collective rights. Utz Che’ uses community self-management and democratic and equitable processes in all advocacy activities, tailored to the needs of the different Indigenous peoples and local communities.

The association finds its strength in the inversion of the traditional power structure; its leadership is composed entirely of those who have historically been pushed to the margins. The organization is led by an assembly and includes a Women's Council that influences policy and decisions. Democratic inclusion and women's leadership are strong pillars of the association.

More than 40 communities and farmers' associations are part of Utz Che’. They represent 200,000 people. Of these, 90 percent are Indigenous, many of whom faced displacement and killings during the internal conflicts that lasted from 1960 to 1996.

Democratic inclusion and women's leadership are strong pillars of the Utz Che' Community Forestry Association.

The mission of the Utz Che' network is to strengthen sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation and natural resource management in Guatemala, while improving the economy of local communities and ensuring the recognition of collective rights.

Indigenous and local community members of the Utz Che' Community Forestry Association are responsible for protecting more than 74,000 hectares of forest in the mountains of Guatemala.

The benefits of forest conservation

Beyond the protection and replanting of forests, Utz Che' facilitates knowledge sharing and learning among its members, whose traditional approaches to land tenure provide a way to provide sustainable and prosperous livelihoods for the network's 33,000 families. Indigenous farmers train their peers in Mayan ecological knowledge and traditional farming practices. These are complemented by workshops on ecological agriculture to protect watersheds.

Utz Che' members know that caring for the forest is equivalent to protecting their health, livelihoods, and water, as forests are important aquifers. Their organic practices contrast with the pesticide dependence of large-scale agriculture that operates nearby and threatens the health of the communities.

New technologies that enable forest monitoring activities help Utz Che’ achieve its mission. Using drones, the communities have been able to not only modernize forest management and capture otherwise unattainable information on the health of forest plants. They are also monitoring forest fires and pests such as the pine weevil.

Indigenous farmers train their peers in Mayan ecological knowledge and traditional farming practices. These are complemented by workshops on ecological agriculture to protect watersheds.

Women participate in family farming processes. Utz Che' facilitates knowledge sharing and learning among its members, whose traditional approaches to land tenure provide a way to provide sustainable and prosperous livelihoods for 33,000 families.

Reforesting means life

As the forest provides livelihoods for villagers, Utz Che' communities are planting trees to improve their lives. Nearly 2,500 hectares of land have been set aside for reforestation and more than 30,000 trees have been planted on farmland. In 2020 alone, Utz Che' planted approximately 60,000 trees throughout the subdivisions of Totonicapán in west-central Guatemala, recovering about 38.35 hectares of forest.

In 2020, Utz Che' was awarded UNDP’s Equator Prize for its community-led conservation work through nature-based solutions.

Utz Che’ spokesperson Balvina Soledad Jutzutz Cristal says; “The work done by Indigenous and local communities to protect and conserve forests is recognized through international and national organizations. It is not enough to admire and enjoy the forests; states must commit to include communities and populations in the agendas and policies, recognizing and enforcing their own forms of organization and governance, without altering or harming their ways and means of life. Forests are depleting, without the work of Indigenous communities the planet may lose its life.”

Utz Che'’s model demonstrates how advancing forest protection and sustainable management is essential to healing the Earth's lungs, ensuring well-being and a livable planet in future generations.

While the work is done locally, the world benefits. As Paulina Par says; "We are part of the lungs of the country, of the Earth". On this International Day of Forests, Utz Che’’s work shows how local community action for forests is a path to recovery and well-being.

In 2020, Utz Che' was awarded UNDP’s Equator Prize for its community-led conservation work through nature-based solutions.

Footnotes

Written by: Anna Giulia Medri, Senior Analyst, UNDP Equator Initiative; Braden Spratt, Programme Assistant, UNDP Equator Initiative; Martin Sommerschuh, Coordinator, UNDP Equator Initiative; Photos by: Utz Che’ Community Forestry Association