LOS DERECHOS ESENCIALES PARA EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DEL BOSQUE

This report by Friends of the Earth International (ATI) outlines the essential rights and conditions necessary for the successful implementation of Community Forest Management (MCB). It argues that MCB is a tool for both environmental conservation and the defense of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, asserting that these rights are intrinsic and exist independently of state recognition.

• Community Forest Management (MCB) is more effective at preserving biodiversity and maintaining healthier ecosystems than traditional conservation models, such as national parks.
• The document identifies numerous systemic threats to community rights, urging states to cease promoting development models based on profit. Specifically, it calls for bans or strict limits on projects including the 'financialization of Nature', industrial agro-commodities, industrial logging, mining, oil exploration, and large-scale hydroelectric projects.
• Successful MCB requires specific internal community conditions, including legitimate organization based on traditional customs, inclusive decision-making that incorporates women and youth, and the establishment of internal mechanisms to prevent corruption and elite capture of decision-making processes.
• The report advocates for the right to self-determination and autonomy, meaning Indigenous Peoples and local communities must be able to make decisions about their territories freely and without coercion. This includes the state's obligation to recognize community legal frameworks and internal leadership.
• Territorial rights are central to MCB and must include collective land titles held in perpetuity. The report emphasizes that communities have the right to regulate access to their land, remain in their territory without forced displacement (including for REDD or infrastructure projects), and maintain control over the subsoil to prevent mining or oil concessions from nullifying surface rights.
• The document defines a 'right to wellbeing' that rejects the dominant profit-driven development model. It argues for state-provided public services and infrastructure based on community agreement, and state incentives to prevent land-use change, provided these incentives are not based on the 'financialization' or 'commodification' of Nature.
• Regarding external proposals, the report demands the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC/CPLIP). It asserts that communities have the right to not be contacted, to define 'no-go' zones for certain activities, and that any project resulting in the intimidation or murder of community leaders must be automatically cancelled.
• The report emphasizes the protection of traditional knowledge, including the right to reject patents or intellectual property claims over biological diversity and seeds. It argues that traditional knowledge should be recognized as a form of scientific knowledge and that the criminalization of seed exchange is illegitimate.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2020). LOS DERECHOS ESENCIALES PARA EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DEL BOSQUE. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Derechos-esenciales-para-el-manejo-comunitario-de-los-bosques.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. LOS DERECHOS ESENCIALES PARA EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DEL BOSQUE. 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Derechos-esenciales-para-el-manejo-comunitario-de-los-bosques.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=LOS DERECHOS ESENCIALES PARA EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DEL BOSQUE |date=July 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Derechos-esenciales-para-el-manejo-comunitario-de-los-bosques.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2020los, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{LOS DERECHOS ESENCIALES PARA EL MANEJO COMUNITARIO DEL BOSQUE}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Derechos-esenciales-para-el-manejo-comunitario-de-los-bosques.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }