What is the Mesoamerican Forest Peoples Alliance?

La AMPB es un espacio de coordinación e intercambio de autoridades territoriales que administran o influyen sobre las principales masas boscosas de Mesoamérica.
Indigenous governments and community forestry organizations in the Alliance seek to strengthen their own dialogue, focused on community management of their natural resources, jointly seeking to influence governments and international cooperation so that biodiversity conservation and climate balance strategies appropriately integrate the rights and benefits of Indigenous Peoples and Forest Communities.
La AMPB trabaja en dos rutas de incidencia claras: la agenda de Manejo Forestal Comunitario y la de Derechos Territoriales. Ambas tienen como base la agenda global de Cambio Climático.

Why do we exist?

In Mesoamerica, indigenous peoples and forest communities have a historical influence over 50 million hectares of forest.

In the last 20 years, many strategies have passed through our territories, first, the protected areas declared by the States, then the projects to connect them called Biological Corridors; however, the social and economic conditions of our peoples and communities did not change.
With traditional norms and cultural uses, and with community forestry; indigenous peoples and forest communities, we have managed over time to give real content to protected areas, in a geographical scenario where we continue to face the pressure of the advancing agricultural frontier encouraged by cattle ranching and excessive timber extraction, among other drivers of deforestation and including the threat of megaprojects, mining, hydroelectric and oil among others, which threaten the livelihoods of our Indigenous Peoples and Forest Communities.

Convencidos de que la única forma de sobrevivencia para nuestros Pueblos Indígenas y Comunidades Forestales ante las amenazas de deforestación masiva, el impacto generado por el cambio climático y las amenazas de megaproyectos es a través de la unión entre los pueblos, se constituye la Alianza Mesoamericana de Pueblos y Bosques (AMPB) en el contexto de la COP16, con el fin de visibilizar la gestión exitosa de las comunidades en el manejo de sus recursos naturales para incidir en los gobiernos e instancias que diariamente toman decisiones sobre temas que afectan directamente a las comunidades.

Our objectives

To defend the recognition and full and effective respect for the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Promote initiatives and strategies that benefit and strengthen management capacities for the governance of indigenous peoples and local communities.

Manage and facilitate the participation of territorial organizations and governments through indigenous and peasant authorities in local, national, regional and international scenarios so that they can have an impact through the proposals generated in the territories.

Analyze, evaluate and jointly influence different political, economic, environmental, socio-cultural and legal initiatives that affect the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities that are members of the Alliance.

To reduce the structural barriers that limit women's political and economic empowerment, promoting equity, social and racial justice, and eradicating all forms of gender-based violence.