Into the Heart of Honduran Moskitia

On this International Day of Forests, I warmly invite you into my journey, starting from my home and my community of the Honduran Moskitia.

My community is a small coastal one, located on the eastern side of Honduras. A stretch of land with the famous Caratasca Lagoon to the south and the Caribbean Sea to the north, the community contains a few houses, one school, and an abundance of fisherfolk and community members who are dedicated to small-scale agriculture.

From my hometown I have fond memories of my mother, who has been an important pillar in the community. She often opened our home to community members, who would visit to offer food (cassava, lobster and shrimp and chicken were often on the menu!) but also to share their everyday challenges. Krata is truly a place where people, nature and community come together to survive both life’s hardships and to celebrate its wins.

But I left this beautiful community as a young girl, to go out and seek the education necessary for my own growth elsewhere and returned many years later as a young woman. Equipped with my newfound knowledge, I also came to a difficult realization - not only did other members of my community not have access to the rights and resources that were rightfully ours, but they also did not have the available funds to fight to gain access to the lands and natural resources that had sustained them for generations. At this critical juncture, I was fortunate to be able to turn to my elders for guidance. What I learned from them very quickly was that the social safety that comes with access to land and resources, was lacking in our community. I felt an immediate urgency that something needed to be done about this critical gap.

In the years that followed, all generations within the community fought tirelessly. And though it was sometimes riddled with setbacks, we were eventually able to title 1.7 million hectares of our ancestral land. The journey was long, but ultimately it was our resilience, combined with the wisdom of the elders, that led us to this victory.

This experience is integral to why I am here today, working with CLARIFI, an Indigenous-led funding mechanism that ensures that other communities like mine have access to the resources they need and deserve to safeguard their lands, their rights, and their future. I know firsthand how crucial it is for communities to have that access. Our mission is to give Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local communities across the developing world the resources they need to carry out their own self-determined priorities. We provide them the tools, resources, and guidance they need to not only protect their land but also to thrive in the face of challenges like climate change, loss of livelihoods, and biodiversity loss. This type of support would have been invaluable to me and my community all those years ago.

In speaking with our partners, I consistently hear stories that resonate with my experiences. For example, we have recently worked with the incredible women leading the Association of Indigenous Pygmy Women (AFAP) in DRC. The Indigenous Pygmy women here have faced challenges similar to what my community experienced. They were forced to leave their homes due to political instability, seeking work and opportunities in neighboring towns. With the support of CLARIFI, AFAP leadership have embarked on a project to improve their agricultural practices and build resilience within their own communities, seeking to strengthen their land-based livelihoods. Through collaborations with village chiefs and agronomic engineers, they’ve been able to enhance their agricultural skills and increase food security within their community. This year alone, they have harvested 200 bags of groundnuts from just 5 hectares of land, and their plantain banana plants are flourishing, with their first harvest on the horizon. For me, these stories are incredibly powerful. The women of AFAP are demonstrating what is possible when communities are given the tools and resources for their self-determined priorities.

As we celebrate the International Day of Forests, it’s important to reflect on the vital role forests play in our communities. For many Indigenous, Afro-descendant and local communities, forests are not just resources, they are our lifeblood, and we will do whatever it takes to not only protect them but to ensure that they thrive! But forests are increasingly under threat from outside forces, and there is still much work to be done. To meet the global goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet's land by 2030, we need to increase the funding reaching the frontline communities who are already protecting these lands. The pipeline of projects is waiting, but we need to ensure that these communities have the support they need to succeed.

Thank you to all those that not only support CLARIFI in our work, but to all the forest guardians who are the champions of climate action!