Abstract
An important proportion of Latin America’s forests are located in indigenous territories, and indigenous peoples are the beneficiaries of about 85% of the area for which local rights to land and forest have been recognized in Latin America since the 1980s. Nevertheless, many of these areas, whether or not rights have been recognized, are subject to threats from colonists, illegal loggers, mining and oil interests and others, whose practices endanger not only the forests but also indigenous people’s territory as a whole. In this context, REDD could constitute a new threat or intensify others, particularly in places where indigenous tenure rights have not been recognized, but REDD could also offer new opportunities. This article describes the limitations of thinking only in terms of communities, rather than territories, and examines the extent to which REDD has been conceived considering the characteristics of this new territorial configuration. It also identifies the challenges that REDD may face with this new ‘stakeholder’, such as numerous specific characteristics of territories, given their heterogeneity, in the context of past experiences regarding ‘forest options’. This paper analyses the situation in already-titled indigenous territories in particular, and also discusses problems facing territories in the titling process.
Highlights
Some men in suits walked up and down the town, their pockets full of money, buying lands left, right and centre
Based on experiences in Bolivia and other countries in the Amazon Basin and Central America, this paper reports on this new situation, namely indigenous territories in Latin America
This paper discusses the need to adopt a more practical approach to understanding whether indigenous people will benefit from REDD and, if so, how
Summary
Some men in suits walked up and down the town, their pockets full of money, buying lands left, right and centre. Instead of agricultural and livestock lands intended to ensure food security, the current process involves lands with valuable forest resources, which should ensure indigenous people‘s rights and cultural continuity These territories represent a significant percentage of each country‘s forest area, and their biological diversity is comparable in importance with that in protected areas. Like protected areas, indigenous people face all kinds of threats to their titled territories and forests from settlers, illegal felling, extractive companies and other pressures. This paper analyses the situation in already titled indigenous territories in particular and discusses problems facing territories in the process of titling more generally It describes the differentforest options‘ historically offered to indigenous people and rural communities, among which REDD seems to be the most recent.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
