Central America
Mining, deforestation, and biofuels production are stripping Central American communities of their resources. Isolated economic investment and tourism mega-projects are exacerbating widespread poverty and unemployment. Our Central America Advisory Board is at the forefront of addressing these injustices with integrated, community-led approaches that support sustainability in the management of natural resources, agriculture, tourism, and climate policy.
Estrategias del Consejo para colocar los donativos
1. Identificar procesos locales:
El consejero GGF parte de un análisis sobre aquellos temas o procesos relacionados con agendas socio-ambientales y que tengan incidencia a nivel nacional y/o regional. (Ej.: manejo comunitario de los recursos, manejo de bosque, cambio climático, turismo comunitario, etc.)
2. Identificar actores locales y nacionales:
De los procesos se identifican aquellos grupos u organizaciones locales y nacionales que están luchando por el acceso al recurso y aquellas que implementando acciones sobre el desarrollo comunitario.
3. Acompañamiento a grupos y organizaciones de base
El apoyo a los procesos se destaca en tres momentos:
- Cuando las organizaciones no cuentan con una idea clara del proyecto, no cuenta con recursos para juntarse y discutir, para poner una apuesta en común.
- Cuando los procesos no son muy conocidos y requieren levantar su perfil, abrir oportunidades de vinculación a instancias del Estado, la cooperación y la Empresa Privada.
- Cuando se cuenta con buenas prácticas y se requiere hacer incidencia ante el Estado para legitimar y lograr políticas públicas que favorezcan sus procesos.
4. Vinculación y alianzas con otras organizaciones y cooperación que trabajan en el Territorio: Después de que los grupos logran el acceso a los recursos, se requiere el acompañamiento en la gestión y manejo sostenible de sus recursos. De manera que los grupos puedan contar con fondos adicionales a los donativos GGF. Este ha sido una estrategia muy exitosa en la gestión de este consejo.
Grantmaking Strategies
- Identify local processes that have an influence at a national or sub-national level and are related to environmental agendas, like the campesino movement
- Identify national and local stakeholders involved in those processes and work with them towards social change and environmental sustainability
- Work closely with grassroots groups to provide information on and guidance in their campaigns and projects
- Publicize innovative, local models and promote participation in advocacy forums to share experiences
- Forge alliances with other agencies, a necessary step in building networks and momentum for social change
Board Priorities
Biofuels
Tourism mega-projects
Open pit mining
Hydroelectric dam development
Climate change adaptation
REDD forest management
Countries
- Belize (10 grants)
- Costa Rica (7 grants)
- El Salvador (2 grants)
- Guatemala (109 grants)
- Honduras (121 grants)
- Nicaragua (89 grants)
- Panama (4 grants)
Cedeno Association of Fishermen
Grant #: 53-521
Amount: $3,000
Country: Honduras
Focus: Sustainable Livelihoods, Marine ConservationAquaculture development in southern Honduras has made the country the second largest producer of farm-raised shrimp in the Western Hemisphere. However, the industry’s growth came at a price: destruction of mangrove forests, depletion of fishing stocks, disappearance of seasonal lagoons, and deterioration of water quality. The Cedeno Association of Fisherman (APAC) works to undo this damage with sustainable economic alternatives and conservation measures in Cedeno, a small town at the heart of the industry's damaging effects. A small grant enabled the group to carry out water quality studies in the estuaries around Cedeno that determined and documented the level of contamination and degradation that have been caused by area shrimp farms. They then used the information gathered in these studies to raise awareness about the declining state of Cedeno’s marine ecosystems and engage local fisherfolk in sustainable alternatives.
Ulew Che’ Ja’ Association
Grant #: 52-201
Amount: $3,000
Country: Guatemala
Focus: DeforestationUlew Che’ Ja’ (‘Earth Trees Water’ in Maya Quiche) promotes community-based conservation of forests and watersheds and the sustainable use of central Guatemala’s natural resources. One of four grants to the organization, this project involved a seed collection campaign that redistributed regionally native tree species to areas where they have been cut down. The goal of the initiative was to restore native tree populations in degraded areas and with them, the cultural and ecological benefit they once provided.
Ibis Colindres
Coordinator
Ibis, a biologist by training, has worked with rural communities for nearly two decades, focusing on participatory sustainable development. She is dedicated to helping poor, marginalized families participate in the management of local resources and improve livelihoods through environmentally-sound economic development. As an independent consultant, she has helped communities within Honduran protected areas develop non-timber forest products, community forestry management plans, and systems for protecting fragile watersheds, while also allowing certain economic activities to continue. More recently, Ibis worked as a Program Officer for Honduras of Danish Church AID. Ibis is based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Elmer Lopez
Instituto para el Desarrollo Rural
An agronomist by training, Elmer began his career as an environmental activist in 1991, when he and his wife joined the Municipal Environmental Commission of Coatepeque in order to help save Guatemala’s largest mangrove forest. He worked as a Central American Greenpeace campaigner until 1998, when he became the Greenpeace international representative for Latin America on coastal marine issues. He has worked on mangrove protection and shrimp farming issues, and he helped create REDMANGLAR, a Latin American network working to protect costal marine ecosystems. He was the Regional Area Vice President Latin America & Caribbean for World Neighbors and is currently a founding member of the Instituto para el Desarrollo Rural, based in Guatemala City.
Rubén Pasos
Independent Consultant
Rubén , based in Managua, Nicaragua, is an independent consultant specializing in rural development, agriculture, agroforesty, small farmer and indigenous organizations, and community-based natural resource management. He has more than 20 years of experience working with farm communities and assisting peasant organizations to achieve their missions. Rubén’s extensive familiarity with grassroots organizations in Central America has made him a key resource for and consultant to donor agencies and programs, including the Mesoamerica Biological Corridor, SWISSAID, Ford Foundation, Central American Commission on Environment and Development, and even the European Union.
-
We’ve reached 6,000 grants!
Jan, 2011: Dana Perry, our Grants Manager, on a Global Greengrants Fund landmark and how even one small grant can help protect lives and push for justice. -
Day Nine: “Deflated?”
Dec, 2010: Terry Odendahl, Greengrants CEO, reflects on the disappointment and stark contrasts in Cancún this week.