Restore and Protect Forests in Mesoamerica

Dear GlobalGiving Supporters,

I hope you are doing well and staying healthy! A lot has happened since my last report.

I want to share with you one recent story. I was visiting our local partner organization in Totonicapán, Guatemala recently, when we had to face a very challenging and unexpected situation. The text below is adapted and translated from this article in Spanish by Indigenous journalist Leopoldo Batz:

During the early hours of Friday, March 5, 2021, the facilities of the forest nursery located in the communal forest of Totonicapán were vandalized by people who could not be identified and who cut down two trees, ripped the plastic walls of the greenhouse, and spray-painted several intimidating messages.

Given what happened, the authorities called on the Government, municipality, institutions, and the general population to join the effort to conserve and protect the area of the Totonicapán communal forest. In the weeks leading up to this incident, the forest guardians of this region had carried out monitoring transects and had detected and reported the illegal felling of trees in various sectors.

Despite the setback, the leaders of the Indigenous organization 48 Cantons also see an opportunity. “Now is the moment to see if the population is interested in their forests. We in this leadership position are willing to move forward and contribute to the protection of forests. If we do not act today, we will regret it tomorrow. We are not alone and, as representatives, we will show that 48 Cantons are strong to protect our forests, said Martín Toc, president of the 48 Cantons.

In fact, by March 8, the community had already gotten organized to clean up and repair the majority of the damage caused by the vandals. We will continue to support them in their efforts to be stewards of their forests. They greatly appreciate your support, as well! 

In solidarity,

Mario Ardany de León, Program Officer, Guatemala

Dear GlobalGiving supporters,

I hope you continue to navigate the global pandemic we’re all living through with health and resilience!

We’ve certainly had our share of challenges. As you may have heard, Hurricane Eta recently severly impacted Central America. Thankfully, it did not directly affect our local partners in Guatemala in terms of loss of lives and homes. However in the Ixcán, El Quiché area, there was flooding of the corn production area located on the banks of the Chixoy River. 

In the area of Multiple Use of the Sarstún River, community leaders have told us that they had no problems related to flooding. However, the communities located on the banks of the Río Dulce, had to enact emergency evacuations to higher ground. We are grateful that there was no considerable damage to people and homes, the corn harvest had already finished, and the next planting cycle will begin at the end of November.

In the context of COVID-19 and a natural disaster, I’m pleased to share with you that we have recently started implementing a project to protect and restore mangroves, led by local communities. As you may know, mangroves are essential for coastal protection from erosion. By offering an obstacle to wind and waves, they significantly decrease the intensity of the storm while reducing its human and material toll. Their roots also play an important role in trapping sediments and stabilizing shorelines facing increased erosion pressures.

Besides their role in shoreline protection, mangroves constitute a valuable tool in the fight against climate change. When a tree grows, it stores carbon in its biomass, thus decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Mangroves perform this carbon storage mechanism particularly well, as they can store up to five times more carbon than an equal area of rainforest. These efficient carbon sinks are becoming increasingly relevant in the light of worsening climate change.

Our project launched last week (right before Eta) with 2 participatory workshops to identify the causes of mangrove degradation in the communities of Barra Sarstún and San Juan in Livingston, Izabal, where 25 people from each community participated. The project will include training community brigades to protect the mangroves, monitor their condition, and regenerate degraded areas.

I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress and thank you for your support! This year has certainly presented many challenges and obstacles, but we are grateful that you are part of our community and that you have supported us during this journey.

In solidarity,

Mario Ardany de Leon, Program Officer, Guatemala