30 Jan
2008 - A near 20 year struggle for land
rights and conservation of their rare Araucaria
forests for an indigenous Pehuenche community
of the Andes range has been rewarded with
a grant of title to 22,000 acres of land
in southern Chile.
Also in December, the
Huiliche indigenous community of Mapu Lahual
received a prestigious Seal Award from Chilean
president Michelle Bachelet for the contribution
of their local development and conservation
project to one of the most isolated and
poorest areas of coastal Chile. This project,
“Strenghtening Governance and Sustainable
Livelihoods in the Huilliche Territoty of
Mapu Lahual” is being carried out by WWF
Chile and the Mapu Lahual indigenous Association.
The Pehuenche communities
of Quinquen started their battle in the
late 1980s, when a logging company tried
to evict them from monkey-puzzle trees (Araucaria)
forests they were lived in. The company
was at the time engaged in suing the government
to lift Araucaria logging bans introduced
in 1976.
The company succeeded
in having the ban lifted in 1987. But the
Pehuenche indigenous resisted their eviction.
A campaign developed, based on both the
assault on the rights of the indigenous
people and the protection of relict species
trees dating from the time of the dinosaurs.
In 11000, the newly-elected
government purchased land from the timber
company in order to benefit Quinquen communities.
Following the listing of Araucaria by the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),
international trade was prohibited.
WWF-Chile has collaborated
with the community in the titling and planning
process, as well as other organizations
such as the Observatory for Indigenous Peoples’
Rights and the National Committee for the
Defense of Fauna and Flora.
“Pehuenche communities
have played a fundamental role in protecting
the araucaria, thereby benefiting society
as a whole. In order for them to continue
this undertaking and maintain their way
of life, their territorial rights must be
legally recognized”, says Rodrigo Catalán,
coordinator of WWF-Chile’s community conservation
programme.
This success could bring
new attention to other cases where forest
communities are still waiting to receive
legal title for their lands.
The Huiliche of Mapu
Lahual, have developed a plan to give the
community the possibility to strengthen
its organization through planning and participation.
Another goal is to develop sustainable economic
alternatives, such as ecotourism and the
marketing of handicrafts and canned goods.
WWF-Chile launched the
project in August 07 together with Mapu
Lahual Indigenous Association and NZAID.
“This award reaffirms
the importance of integrating conservation
and the improved quality of life among local
people, both of which are key factors that
are complementary to development”, says
Rodrigo Catalán.
The awards ceremony
is part of the Bicentennial celebration
sponsored by the Chilean government to commemorate
the country’s 200th anniversary, which will
take place on September 2010.
Annelore Hoffens
Communication Officer
WWF Chile
