This website was formerly the home to the Center for Support of Native Lands. It appears that the organization has ceased to exist. I have attempted to contact them by phone at the numbers listed, but the person that answers does not know anything about the organization. I will post former contact from the site as well is information about the organization that I can find around the internet.
The Mission Statement of the organization that I found on Guidestar:
Native Lands works to protect biological and cultural diversity around the world, with a focus on Latin America.
We do this by assisting indigenous peoples to develop and carry out their agendas for the preservation of the region's natural and cultural heritage.
We believe that:
- The preservation of the biological and cultural heritage of the region is of vital importance to us all.
- Over the centuries, indigenous peoples have developed ways of life and systems of natural resource management that are invaluable for the conservation of the region's natural ecosystems.
- The most effective way to protect the region's biological and cultural heritage is through collaborative action that combines traditional indigenous practices with strategies of Western conservation, for they are mutually reinforcing.
- Indigenous peoples must have secure territorial rights, strong organizations, and vigorous cultures to effectively protect their natural and cultural heritage.
The programs of the organization are as follows:
Since 1996, Native Lands has been active in organizing a series of conferences, workshops, and exchanges dealing with land, natural resources, and culture in Latin America, as a means for building consensus on these issues within the region. This work began with the First Indigenous Conference on Land, the Environment, and Culture in Central America, and was followed up with regional workshops on sustainable development, land rights, protected areas, and cultural identity. We evaluated our progress in 1999 at the Second Indigenous Conference on Land, the Environment, and Culture in Central America. We are continuing our efforts with a four-year work plan involving similar but more in-depth workshops, studies, training, and technical exchanges, to be carried out in collaboration with the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (URACCAN). The work plan involves the following areas:
Research: regional study of indigenous land tenure in Central America and indigenous organizational management.
Seminars and workshops: impact of macro projects; coastal ecosystems and indigenous peoples; indigenous cultural identity.
Technical exchanges: local administration of justice and conflict resolution; curricula for bilingual intercultural education; co-management of protected areas.
MAPPING
Native Lands has pioneered two types of participatory mapping in the region. The first of these was embodied in The Coexistence of Indigenous Peoples and the Natural Environment in Central America, a map produced in 1992 in collaboration with the National Geographic Society. The second is a methodology for community land use mapping, in which indigenous peoples document on maps the territories they occupy and use for subsistence activities.
Central America Map Update: In September 2000, Native Lands initiated a comprehensive update of the map it did with the National Geographic Society in 1992. The original map showed the intimate relationship between the region's indigenous peoples and forests, as well as the rapid pace of deforestation and destruction of terrestrial ecosystems. The new version adds coastal marine ecosystems and extends into southern Mexico. The team in charge of update, a team of 15 specialists in the region, produced a single regional map of Central America and southern Mexico at approximately 1:2,000,000 showing the present forest cover, marine ecosystems, and areas of indigenous occupation; and individual country maps at larger scales. All maps were distributed to policy makers, government agencies, NGOs, and indigenous communities throughout the region.
Land Use Mapping: Native Lands has been involved in participatory land use mapping with indigenous peoples since 1992. In Latin America, we have worked in the Mosquitia of Honduras, the Darien and Kuna Yala in Panama, the Chaco of Bolivia, southern Suriname, the Xingu region of Brazil, Q'eqchi' commmunities around Livingston in Guatemala, and Rama territories in Nicaragu. Over the years we have developed a useful and adaptable methodology for participatory mapping of indigenous lands, and have documented it in the book Indigenous Landscapes: A Study in Ethnocartography.
NOTE: I did not post any copy written material. If you want any material on this site removed call Bill M. at 1-800-878-7223. I am trying to keep the information available, but will remove it by request.
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