Environmental activists call attention to rising sea levels outside the COP16 climate conference in Cancun, Mexico in 2010. (AP Images)

This week the blog will focus on environmental initiatives in Latin America. We will discuss deforestation and logging issues, community programs, energy, water and youth. Today’s post will focus on communities working together to combat climate change.

Are you interested in sustainable forestry management? How about the role of communities in conservation efforts? The Consejo Civil Mexicano para la Silvicultura Sostenible, A.C. (CCMSS) and Rights + Resources produce a comprehensive document called “Sustainable Forest Management As A Strategy To Combat Climate Change: Lessons From Mexican Communities.” The document delves into details surrounding forestry management. Its central aim is to show how community-managed programs “can capture and store more carbon than forest conservation regimes in which wood-harvesting is prohibited.” The paper claims that

The Mexican model of community forest management is based on the devolution and recognition of rights over forest products, including timber, the establishment of community governance within a clear legal framework, and the enabling of community forest enterprises on the basis of forest common property.

This raises an interesting point about the role of ownership, mutual benefits and resource usage in a traditional conservation program. Do you think this community-managed program that allows for some wood production is a more practical –yet conservational- approach to forest management?

If you are interested in more environment and natural resources for Latin America, then look no further than the extensive list provided by the Latin American Network Information Center, which breaks down organizations by region, country, and a larger international section.  In Argentina, why not check out AIDIS Argentina, the Asociacion Argentina de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ciencias del Ambiente (Argentinean Association of Sanitary Engineering and Sciences of the Environment)? Or in Nicaragua, the Ministerio del Ambiente y los Recursos Naturales (The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources)?

We hope you’ll find a variety of resources on Latin America to learn more about environmental issues in those areas, and to find organizations and communities taking steps to combat environmental degradation and climate change!