State, forest and community: decentralization of forest administration in Guatemala.

TL;DRAbstract

The recent political decentralization of forest administration in Guatemala is a complex process involving a diverse set of actors and management practices. Communal and regional forestlands have been historically considered ‘open access’ by a state that has systematically ignored ancestral land and citizenship rights and destroyed local communities. However, local forest management has been effectively practised since the colonial period. Especially in Guatemala’s Western Highlands, community groups have struggled to maintain access and control over their lands and natural resources, and defended communal property, traditional knowledges and customary rights, and local government systems. Government initiatives during the past decade have promoted the deconcentration of forest regulation to the municipal level. At the same time, local communities are demanding recognition and restitution of ancestral rights over land and natural resources, including national, communal and municipal fo

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