Latin America

And yet, ICCAs are threatened. The threats come from the models of economic development and exploitation of natural resources imposed upon them (intensive agriculture and livestock, mining, megaprojects, mega infrastructure); the processes of acculturation related to official programs of education, health care and new means of mass communication; and from the national policies and legislations that promote these models. State laws and policies pay little attention to ethnic and cultural diversity, and seek, rather, the cultural integration and homogenization of their citizens, often ignoring international commitments about indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities. Threats also come from the various types of violence linked to drug trafficking and illicit crops, from groups that move on the margins of the law, displacements, crossfire and social violence, as well as social, racial and ethnic discrimination. The cultural loss due to external causes (imposition of the dominant model) as well as internal forces (loss of values ​​and ancestral norms; loss of pride, especially among younger generations; migration to urban centers; corruption), undermine ancestral authorities and customary practices of social, cultural and environmental management.

In Latin America, the ICCA Consortium implements an alert and defense system specific to ICCAs. It also works on capacity-building and the creation of national and regional networks. It facilitates meetings where members can share learning and strategies. And it highlights emblematic and critical cases, seeking ways to foster recognition for, and fund the work of, ICCAs at the local level and with its own functionning.