Reynaldo Santana, the King of the Naso, on the banks of the Teribe River in northwest Panama. Photo Credit: Norlando Meza

EnvironmentSociety Panama31. January 2021

Indigenous Tribe Regains Control of Ancestral Land

A Panama tribe has been authorized to create a semi-autonomous territory on their ancestral land, a decision from the Supreme Court that could potentially boost conservation efforts across the region.

This is an act of justice that will restore tranquility to the Naso by securing our land,” says Reynaldo Santana, the King of the Naso people of northwest Panama. “We will be able to continue what we know best and what our culture and way of life represents: taking care of our mother earth, conserving a majestic forest, and protecting the country and the planet from the effects of climate change.”

The Naso people who number only 3,500 have been granted the right to create a comarca that covers some 400,000 acres of two state-protected areas: La Amistad National Park and the Palo Seco forest reserve. Those two parks will continue to exist but under indigenous control to better manage the forest; the deforestation rate is lower on indigenous lands, and with legal powers, the Naso people can exclude invaders and halt cattle ranchers because “indigenous people are on the ground, defending what is theirs,” says Joshua Lichtenstein, regional program manager for the Rainforest Foundation U.S. This ruling sets a precedent for other indigenous groups wishing to have their own comarca within state-protected areas.

Source:
Yale Environment 360

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