RRI hosted an official UN side event during Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development" with Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques (AMPB) and Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible (CCMSS). Download the event's brochure. 

The event reflected on the role of forest communities and Indigenous Peoples in  sustainable development" presenting lessons learned from Mesoamerica" and highlighting a new global analysis of the benefits and impacts of tenure reform around the world since 1992.  

Community forest management (CFM) is a common practice in several countries of Latin America. Sustainable communitarian forest management helps to mitigate the effects of environmental degradation and climate change and promotes rural development by the creation of more employment opportunities in the forest sector" which strengthens the local economies and eradicates rural poverty. Thus" community forest management provides multiple ecologic" economic and social benefits" and can inspire other nations to learn from the experiences in Mexico and Central America to adopt similar strategies to promote sustainable development.

Our side event showed what is crucial for successful and sustainable communitarian forest management" how it fosters local governance and how it improves local development. At the same time" challenges and needs were presented to foster community forest management that benefits nature and society in the local and global context. Lessons and experience from Mexico" Guatemala" Honduras" Panama" Nicaragua" and Costa Rica were shared.

Title: Community Forest Management to Assure Sustainable Development

Date and time:  18 Jun 2012" 09:30 - 11:00

Venue (tentative): T-10 (RioCentro)" Rio de Janeiro" Brazil

Speakers:

• Jeffrey Hatcher / United States

• Gustavo Sánchez / México

• Marcedonio Cortave / Guatemala

• Victoria Flores / Honduras

• Cacique Betanio Chiquidama  / Panamá

• Reynaldo Francis / Nicaragua

• Levi Sucre Romero / Costa Rica

For details" contact Marvin Sotelo. 

Read a summary of the event" produced by the Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques" here (Spanish): Resúmen del evento: Pueblos indígenas y comunidades campesinas forestales de Mesoamérica aportan a la reflexión de Rio+20