The Network of Territories of Life and its Biocultural Heritage
The extraordinary richness of Mesoamerican indigenous territories is intrinsically linked to the ancestral practices and knowledge of their peoples, through relationships of reciprocity and adaptive co-evolution built over millennia (Holling, Gunderson & Ludwig, 2002). Indigenous peoples have shaped, managed, and conserved forest, food, and water systems, giving rise to unique biocultural heritages in the region, such as the Lacandon and Petén tropical rainforests (Nigh & Ford, 2015). These spaces, recognised by CERR as Territories of Life, constitute fundamental keys for the conservation of the biological, functional, linguistic, cultural, economic, political, and legal diversity of the country and its respective surroundings (Boege, 2021). The biocultural heritage they safeguard represents an immeasurable intergenerational inheritance, offering both a foundation for processes of national identity reconstitution and sustainable alternatives to strengthen the continuity of social and ecological wellbeing in Mesoamerica. At CERR, we are committed to the recognition, protection, and restitution of Territories of Life as a strategy that promotes the emergence of democratic pluralism in the country.

The Problem
Guatemala ranks among the countries with the greatest biological diversity on the planet and, simultaneously, among the most vulnerable to climate change (IPCC, 2022). In this context, indigenous communities in the southwestern part of the country have developed and maintained for years territorial management systems that integrate local ecological knowledge, agroecological and agroforestry practices, and community governance structures. These systems have demonstrated an effective capacity to conserve fragile ecosystems under conditions of increasing environmental pressure, including agro-industrial expansion, the advance of monocultures, and accelerated deforestation.
Despite their effectiveness, these systems face a structural threat that transcends the environmental:

The transmission of ancestral ecological knowledge that underpins the conservation of these territories, deeply rooted in community and family dynamics and transmitted orally, is today at risk. Bearers of ancestral knowledge observe a lack of interest and devaluation of this knowledge by new generations.
The difficulty in accessing sufficient livelihoods linked to the territory, to sustain the lives of these families and community groups, places economic pressure that shifts priorities toward immediate subsistence. Conservation and regeneration actions are reduced, interrupted, or abandoned. The cumulative impact of years of work could be eroded.
The potential result is the irreversible loss of ecosystems and the knowledge systems that sustain them.

Justification
Global scientific evidence is consistent: territories managed by indigenous peoples outperform conventional protected areas in biodiversity conservation, regulation of ecosystem services, and adaptation to climate change (IPBES, 2019; IPCC, 2022). This effectiveness is not coincidental. It is the result of knowledge systems accumulated over generations, territorial and family governance structures, and a relationship with the land that integrates cultural, spiritual, and ecological dimensions inseparably.
In the Territories of Life that form this network, knowledge bearers are actively committed to the continuity of conservation and regeneration. However, the conditions that allow it to be sustained are eroding. The reduction of spaces for collective practice and for the transmission of knowledge to new generations is insufficient, and the resources that can be dedicated to the conservation and regeneration of these territories are limited, which constitutes a real risk of discontinuity.

The Solution
General objective: Strengthen the Network of Territories of Life and its Biocultural Heritage
This general objective will be achieved through two specific objectives:

Promote the exchange of ancestral agroecological and/or agroforestry knowledge, capacities, and practices from at least 3 Territories of Life that have forests in strategic areas. This exchange will be promoted among knowledge bearers from the different Territories of Life in an intergenerational manner, also integrating the youngest generation of each territory.
Build physical and material capacities to conserve and regenerate the territories, in order to strengthen specific conservation and regeneration strategies that seek not only to conserve and regenerate the territories but also to facilitate their economic sustainability in the medium term. Physical investments identified by the communities themselves will be financed, prioritising those that directly enhance their ancestral territorial management practices and economic sustainability.
Impact and its measurement:
Knowledge and capacities of the network exchanged and conservation and regeneration practices implemented in each territory from their own knowledge systems, involving the different generations of each Territory of Life.
a. We will document at least 6 exchange spaces (two in each territory), where knowledge is shared to strengthen conservation and regeneration capacities, and agroecological and/or agroforestry practices are implemented in each territory.
b. We will systematise the practices and knowledge exchanged so that they are useful for the entire network.
The three territories are equipped with light infrastructure, equipment, or inputs necessary to enhance their conservation and regeneration and strengthen their economic sustainability.
a. We will carry out a strategic participatory/co-creative process for each territory, for the definition of the light infrastructure, equipment, or inputs, which will be documented.
b. We will document the acquisition/construction process of the equipment.
Additionally, we will document community counterparts to achieve both objectives, whether in kind or monetary.
Final Message
Supporting this proposal means recognising the value of the principles of community life, traditional knowledge, and millennial institutions as pillars of social and ecological resilience. It is also a commitment to new generations reaffirming their identity and deepening their relationship with biocultural heritage in Guatemala for humanity.
For more info
You can access this technical sheet to learn about some of the Territories of Life that belong to the network: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13Ml7GOq99QscwMzB4-6SuayG3Q4ZhrPA/view?usp=drive_link
Learn more about CERR's work at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WYSgMgotX8wSFYD7pY951cPdZf3f61Pr/view?usp=drive_link