Rights of Indigenous Forest People of Mesoamerica

The AMPB (for its acronym in Spanish) is a partner organization to the Communities, Territories and Climmate Program at ICCO. The AMPB evolved as a platform of indigenous territorial governments and community forestry organizations, and its 10 members in five countries: Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, represent over 50,000 people that live on the most densely forested lands in Mesoamerica. We have been working with the leaders of AMPB and member organizations for four years, including ACOFOP in Guatemala. During these years the alliance has developed innovative governance models that vindicate the rights of indigenous and forests communities in the region, nevertheless, the alliance and its member organizations still need to build on their capacities related to the organizations and governance to strengthen their advocacy and lobby actions.

This project is implemented by the Association of Forest Communities of Peten (ACOFOP) which is part of AMPB and member of its Executive Committee. ACOFOP is a second level institution made up of 22 community organizations that perform community forestry in the Multiple Use Area of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in the department of Peten, Guatemala.