In Honduras, big land tracts to come under indigenous control

Following the lead of other Central American countries that have turned over forests to indigenous communities, the Honduran government has granted land titles covering vast swaths of eastern territory to Miskito communities living there. Many conservationists argue that the best way to protect forests is to turn them over to the people who live in them. In much of the developing world, including Latin America, indigenous communities still inhabit the forests and their traditional practices dovetail with sustainable forest management. In a program begun last year with support from the World Bank, the government has titled 760,000 hectares (2,930 sq miles) in the department of Gracias a Dios to Miskito groups—almost 7% of the country’s territory. Eighty percent of that land was formally titled... [Log in to read more]

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